Ground was broken yesterday at a new tactical training facility at the Philadelphia Police Academy at 8501 State Rd. in Upper Holmesburg.

The new building will combine the department’s SWAT, bomb squad and K-9 units and will be used by other nearby law enforcement departments. continue reading »

NEast Links: Bringing you additional Northeast news

Three people were injured Wednesday morning in a Morrell Park fire. It took firefighters 20 minutes to extinguish the blaze on the 3200-block of Cromwell Road, and three residents – including a toddler – were taken to Aria Health-Torresdale for smoke inhalation [CBS3].

The Frankford Gazette has published another print edition. The March 2012 edition is out now and also available in PDF form [Frankford Gazette].

A $7,500 reward has been offered for the suspects wanted in the recent Mayfair tire slashings. The Fraternal Order of Police has offered $5,000 for information leading to an arrest and $2,500 for and arrest and conviction [Philadelphia Police Department].

They live in Frankford; Northwood; Mayfair; Wissinoming; Lawncrest; and Tacony, and they’re 11 of the Philadelphia Police Department’s most-wanted violent offenders.

The department released a video slideshow Tuesday of the city’s 100 most-wanted violent felons who have outstanding warrants, and will run the images on Channel 64, Philadelphia’s public access TV station, in an effort to solicit tips. continue reading »

Click here for the audio slideshow that accompanies this article.

Burglaries have recently been a hot topic for residents in the Northeast. But what exactly constitutes a burglary? Many confuse the term with theft or robbery.

Burglaries fall under an entirely different category. The term is defined as the act of entering a building with the intent to commit a crime without a weapon.

Last year, there were 2,432 burglaries that took place in the Northeast. The 2nd, 7th, 8th and 15th Police Districts have been making appearances at local civic group meetings to address residents’ concerns.

Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey was present at the Lawncrest Community Association’s meeting last week, where burglaries was just one of many topics he discussed with residents.

“We’re [the City of Philadelphia] up in burglaries.” he said “A lot of it is residential. There’s some commercial burglaries, so some areas are seeing an upward trend in that. Burglary across the country is not an easy crime to solve. Usually there are no witnesses. Usually there is very little, if any forensic evidence that you can gather at the scene.”

The Philadelphia Police Department’s new interactive Crime Mapping application was created as part of its Incident Transmittal System and gives the public free access to criminal data that is recorded in their neighborhoods. continue reading »

Jim and Brooke Higgins of Sweet Lucy's Smokehouse

Brooke and Jim Higgins have traveled the world, working as personal chefs and caterers for high-end clientele. Northeast native Brooke even had the experience of working under celebrity chef Todd English at his Boston restaurant, Olives.

In 2003, the couple found itself a new calling in Holmesburg, in the form of a lunch truck. With experienced culinary backgrounds and a little inspiration from their 110-pound Newfoundland, Sweet Lucy, the couple took the catering business to a whole new level.

“Brooke’s father has a business here,” said Jim, “First, we thought we were just going to park it in his parking lot and you know, end up taking it around the city. Then, one day, we decided to open up the window and see if people would come and we had such a good response, we decided to put the restaurant right here.” continue reading »

Police are searching for the man who robbed Upper Holmesburg’s Deluxe Pharmacy last month.

On March 23, the suspect showed a pharmacy employee a handgun and demanded drugs with a note. He fled on foot with Vicodin and Oxycodone. continue reading »

Take  a look at 4625, 6420 and 6855 Frankford Avenue. Do any of those addresses look like Kensington to you?

Didn’t think so. Kensington is about a mile away from the southern-most of the aforementioned addresses. So imagine our smirks when we saw the Daily News run this: continue reading »

UPDATE (4:47 p.m. Nov. 8, 2010) — Castro has pleaded not guilty, and was released on bail until trial.

An inspector with the Philadelphia Police Department has been arrested on charges of corruption.

Daniel Castro, head of the Traffic Division and former captain of the 24th District, is being investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s office on charges that have not yet been revealed. Castro, a Somerton resident, was also reprimanded in 1999 while working in the 16th District, when he attempted to doctor incident reports to make the district look safer, as the Inquirer reports.

A police who last month said he had been shot during a pursuit in the 19th District admitted yesterday that he made up the shooting.

Sgt. Robert Ralston, 46, of Walton Park said he was shot by a black male April 5. The subsequent investigation did not turn up a suspect who fit Ralston’s description, and many inconsistencies — including the lack of shell casings — led authorities to question the claim. continue reading »

Members of the 8th PDAC sponsored an Arbor Day event on Friday at the district.  The ceremony featured a tree dedication to remember and honor all deceased police officers who either lived or worked in the 8th Police District.

Remarks were made by our guest speakers: State Reps. Dennis O’Brien and Brendan Boyle, Fraternal Order of Police President John J. McNesby, 8th District Capt. Deborah Kelly PDAC Vice Chairman Harry Sonntag, Rev. Carl Graczyk of St Jerome parish and Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz.  The Honor Guard was comprised of the Patriot Guard Riders (U.S. military veterans), a Philadelphia Police Honor Guard and a bugler, Cpl. John Halligan.

Elsie Stevens lives in Holme Circle and is a member of the 8th PDAC. You can read all her contributions to NEast Philly here.