Philadelphia Police Department

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Philadelphia Police Officers with their Patrol Car

Current Department patch

The Philadelphia Police Department is the police agency responsible for law enforcement and investigations within the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is one of the oldest municipal police agencies in the United States, and the fourth largest in the country.

1 History
2 Present-day PPD
3 Special Aspects of the PPD
4 Philadelphia Police Commissioners
5 Wall of Honor
6 Popular Culture
7 See also
8 External links

[edit] History

The PPD can trace its roots back to 1751 and the installation of a paid group of wardens and constables to perform limited patrols and station themselves in public watch boxes. {Earlier in 1663 the first patrol was founded}. In 1850, a police marshal was appointed, and the police force became more formalized as its duties expanded with the city's size and population.

In 1881, the PPD hired its first African-American police officer. In 1887, the police department was put under control of the city's Department of Public Safety. Two years later, the PPD inaugurated its mounted patrol (which was recently disbanded in 2004).

1906 marked the introduction of motorcycles to the Philadelphia police, and thirty years later, radio-installed patrol cars were put into use. In 1979, the PPD reached its peak size at approximately 8,500 officers.

In 1981, PPD officer Daniel Faulkner was murdered by Mumia Abu-Jamal. The incident, subsequent trial, and continuing debate as to the veracity of both remains a controversial issue to this day.

[edit] Present-day PPD

Philadelphia Police Department HQ

The current Philadelphia Police Department employs more than 6,600 officers, and patrols an area of 369.4 km² (142.6 mi²) with a population of almost 1.5 million. The department is subdivided into twenty-three patrol districts, and like many other large municipal police forces, it incorporates many special units such as a K-9 squad, SWAT, community relations unit, and harbor patrol. The highest-ranking officer, the Commissioner, is currently Sylvester Johnson, a 30-plus year veteran of the force. A former PPD Commissioner, Frank Rizzo, later became the mayor of Philadelphia in the 1970's.

[edit] Special Aspects of the PPD

The PPD has several unique features which distinguish it from other municipal police agencies. One of these features is the department's Hero Scholarship Thrill Show, which is a 45-year-old program designed to provide funds for the college education of the children of PPD officers slain or disabled in the line of duty. Funds are raised through ticket sales for the Thrill Show, which features police and fire department demonstrations, exhibits, and games.

Another unique aspect of the Philadelphia Police is its use of a municipal Strategic Intervention Tactical Enforcement (S.I.T.E) special unit. The Philadelphia SITE Unit serves one role within the department:to serve as a specialized anti-crime task force in high-crime areas of the city. The PPD's SITE unit serves as an elite group who work directly for the current Police Commissioner within the department, and has only a few counterparts in other cities that do the same, most notably Boston's Special Operations Unit.

[edit] Philadelphia Police Commissioners

Gregore J. Sambor, ! - 1985
Kevin M. Tucker, 1986 - 1988
Willie L. Williams, 1988 - 1992
Richard Neal, 1992 - 1998
John Timoney, 1998 - 2002
Sylvester Johnson, 2002 - present

[edit] Wall of Honor

Philadelphia honors those men and women who have passed while serving in the line of duty. The memorial plaque is located in the courtyard of Philadelphia City Hall. It resided on the southeast corner of where Broad and Market Street would meet if they continued throught the building.

(NOTE: Prior to 1972, the Fairmount Park Police Department (FPPD) functioned as a separate unit within the City of Philadelphia. Members of the FPPD, who fell in the line of duty are included in the below list with the letters "FPPD" after their name)

(Rank, Name, Date of Death)

Night Officer William Baker, Friday, December 26, 1851
Watchman Neil Mooney, Sunday, May 25, 1856
Police Officer Dennis Sullivan, Tuesday, June 14, 1870
Police Officer Lewis Lare, Wednesday, August 21, 1872
Police Officer Daniel McGonigle, Wednesday, October 9, 1872
Police Officer Henry O'Donnell, Tuesday, July 4, 1876
Police Officer George McGonigal, Sunday, February 18, 1877
Police Officer George Jackson, Monday, May 23, 1887
Police Officer William D. Johnston, Monday, October 3, 1887
Police Officer Elmer Findley, Tuesday, December 29, 1891
Police Officer John Chambers, Monday, September 10, 1894
Police Officer Charles O. Conaway, Saturday, November 10, 1900
Police Officer Edward George, Saturday, December 27, 1902
Police Officer John J. Donovan, Friday, September 25, 1903
Police Officer Matthew J. Curran, Friday, May 26, 1905
Police Officer Thomas A. Sheldon, Saturday, January 6, 1906
Police Officer Frank Slaymaker, Wednesday, June 6, 1906
Police Officer August F. Brusius, Saturday, February 23, 1907
Police Officer Scott H. Shelley, Sunday, January 5, 1908
Police Officer Thomas A. Gordon, Thursday, April 9, 1908
Police Officer Edward Mooney, Saturday, December 19, 1908
Police Officer Robert Simons, Wednesday, February 17, 1909
Police Officer James O'Brien, Friday, February 4, 1910
Police Officer William Weiss, Sunday, May 8, 1910
Police Officer George Barnett, Monday, November 28, 1910
Police Officer Morris Gelles, Thursday, December 22, 1910
Police Officer Joseph Dolphin, Saturday, February 17, 1912
Police Officer Thomas Dowling, Wednesday, June 26, 1912
Police Officer David M. Simpson, Saturday, September 21, 1912
Police Officer George Freeman, Tuesday, September 24, 1912
Police Officer John Mann, Monday, August 4, 1913
Police Officer Frank A. Sankey, Friday, September 18, 1914
Detective James Maneely, Thursday, March 25, 1915
Detective Harry E. Tucker, Saturday, April 24, 1915
Police Officer Vincent J. Moore, Friday, August 11, 1916
Police Officer John F. Smith, Saturday, October 28, 1916
Police Officer Fredrick J. Weingard, Monday, July 23, 1917
Detective Frank J. McCartney, Thursday, August 30, 1917
Police Officer George Eppley, Wednesday, September 19, 1917
Detective George L. Williams, Wednesday, January 9, 1918
Police Officer Charles T. Dewees, Saturday, January 12, 1918
Police Officer Thompson Black, Friday, January 18, 1918
Police Officer James Wilson, Monday, January 21, 1918
Police Officer Thomas J. McVay, Sunday, July 28, 1918
Police Officer John J. Knox, Monday, January 27, 1919
Police Officer George Dingwall, Monday, January 27, 1919
Police Officer Charles Danowitz, Sunday, March 9, 1919
Police Officer Walter S. Gideon, Thursday, March 13, 1919
Police Officer James J. Hess, Friday, March 14, 1919
Police Officer Joseph T. Swiercynski, Thursday, March 20, 1919
Police Officer Abner Braun, Tuesday, May 27, 1919
Police Officer Conrad E. Gibson, Saturday, October 4, 1919
Police Officer Charles B. Jones, Sunday, October 5, 1919
Police Officer John E. Price, Monday, April 19, 1920
Police Officer Walter H. Hodges, Tuesday, May 11, 1920
Police Officer William J. Boyd Jr., Wednesday, May 12, 1920
Police Officer Dominic E. Nesavage, Sunday, September 12, 1920
Detective Joseph P. McGinn, Sunday, October 3, 1920
Police Officer John J. McAntee, Friday, October 22, 1920
Police Officer Edward W. Kunz, Thursday, October 28, 1920
Police Officer Edward W. Holtry, Monday, January 17, 1921
Police Officer William J. Davis, Saturday, January 29, 1921
Police Officer Edward S. Boynton, Tuesday, October 4, 1921
Police Officer Edward W. Kelly, Wednesday, November 16, 1921
Park Guard Vincent A. Hanley, FPPD, Saturday, November 26, 1921
Police Officer Harry J. Stauffer, Thursday, March 16, 1922
Police Officer Thomas Brady, Monday, April 24, 1922
Police Officer James A. Lambert, Sunday, July 16, 1922
Police Officer John J. Toomey, Saturday, August 26, 1922
Police Officer Bartholomew J. Coen, Friday, October 6, 1922
Police Officer Thomas F. Gallagher, Friday, November 3, 1922
Police Officer William Miles, Wednesday, February 21, 1923
Police Officer Thomas Wilkinson, Thursday, April 19, 1923
Police Officer Harry R. Reinhart, Sunday, March 23, 1924
Detective Truman Swain, Saturday, July 5, 1924
Police Officer Thomas J. Nihill, Sunday, September 21, 1924
Police Officer Robert Wise, Sunday, November 30, 1924
Police Officer Harry C. Lomas, Thursday, March 26, 1925
Police Officer John F. Creevy, Tuesday, June 9, 1925
Police Officer Albert Steward, Saturday, October 24, 1925
Police Officer Frank P. Cook, Wednesday, December 16, 1925
Police Officer Harry Manley Cooper, Tuesday, May 4, 1926
Police Officer Joseph Edward Bell, Thursday, December 23, 1926
Police Officer Charles F. Gay, Friday, January 7, 1927
Police Officer William Slook, Friday, January 14, 1927
Police Officer Robert A. McGarvey, Thursday, February 24, 1927
Police Officer John J. Watson, Monday, April 18, 1927
Police Officer Edward C. PlenskofskiMonday, August 8, 1927
Police Officer Gottlob Klemmer, Sunday, September 11, 1927
Watchman Steven Heimer, Sunday, January 8, 1928
Police Officer Charles A. Fry, Tuesday, February 21, 1928
Detective Joseph Etriss, Sunday, March 25, 1928
Police Officer Harry Feinberg, Friday, March 30, 1928
Police Officer Charles J. Sheer, Monday, December 10, 1928
Inspector John W. Blackburn, Thursday, January 17, 1929
Police Officer James M. Justice, Friday, March 1, 1929
Police Officer Michael Donnelly, Friday, April 12, 1929
Police Officer William T. Page, Sunday, April 21, 1929
Police Officer Phillip A. Bruce, Saturday, November 9, 1929
Assistant Superintendent James J. HearnThursday, November 27, 1930
Police Officer John C. Keen, Friday, February 27, 1931
Police Officer Elmer E. Patterson, Saturday, June 6, 1931
Captain Harry B. Price, Saturday, June 20, 1931
Police Officer Raymond Carey, Monday, July 13, 1931
Detective Edward J. Gahan, Saturday, August 15, 1931
Police Officer Joseph V. Campbell Jr.Friday, October 23, 1931
Police Officer Thomas J. Fitzgerald, Saturday, November 7, 1931
Police Officer Albert J. Stokes, Wednesday, February 3, 1932
Sergeant Walter Steinbaker, Sunday, February 21, 1932
Police Officer William J. Henderson, Thursday, March 3, 1932
Police Officer David H. Wiley, Sunday, April 10, 1932
Police Officer Nolan Eugene Tipton, Saturday, June 25, 1932
Police Officer Joseph C. Meiers, Thursday, July 7, 1932
Police Officer Isadore Reinheimer, Tuesday, August 2, 1932
Detective Michael G. Croskey, Wednesday, December 7, 1932
Police Officer Fred J. Dolan, Thursday, January 26, 1933
Detective Louis Moore, Friday, June 16, 1933
Police Officer Charles H. StockbergerFriday, July 14, 1933
Police Officer Harry Donahue, Monday, February 19, 1934
Police Officer Matthew Clowry, Saturday, March 31, 1934
Police Officer Alphonso BonavitacolaSaturday, July 28, 1934
Police Officer William C. Wilson, Monday, September 3, 1934
Police Officer Paul Hathaway, Thursday, October 4, 1934
Police Officer Edwin W. Welsh, Saturday, November 10, 1934
Police Officer William Bunker HinchliffeWednesday, April 24, 1935
Police Officer William H. McCloskeySunday, May 5, 1935
Police Officer Thomas J. McErlane, Thursday, July 4, 1935
Police Officer James T. Morrow, Monday, November 23, 1936
Park Guard Michael McKenna, FPPD, Monday, May 17, 1937
Park Guard Martin Clasby, FPPD, Friday, December 31, 1937
Police Officer Henry Berry, Wednesday, March 30, 1938
Police Officer Edward Bradley, Sunday, February 2, 1941
Police Officer James J. Clarke, Tuesday, February 11, 1941
Captain Hugh F. McCann, Friday, June 13, 1941
Police Officer William J. Henderson, Thursday, December 25, 1941
Police Officer Thomas J. Wixted, Sunday, March 15, 1942
Police Officer Karl F. Kohler, Thursday, August 12, 1943
Police Officer Eugene J. Chavis, Saturday, May 20, 1944
Park Guard William A. Doyle, FPPD, Monday, January 8, 1945
Police Officer John F. Schaefer, Saturday, March 31, 1945
Police Officer Charles W. Brown, Wednesday, November 27, 1946
Police Officer Henry Hicks, Tuesday, December 24, 1946
Police Officer Cecil Ingling, Thursday, January 30, 1947
Police Officer James J. Quigley, Thursday, April 3, 1947
Park Guard Thomas A. Ryan, FPPD, Tuesday, April 8, 1947
Sergeant Samuel Hewitt, Wednesday, April 23, 1947
Police Officer Wallace B. ChapmanSunday, June 13, 1948
Sergeant Michael J. Hunt, Wednesday, August 4, 1948
Police Officer Norman Stinger, Tuesday, January 25, 1949
Police Officer Vincent P. Foley, Sunday, March 20, 1949
Police Officer George Mitchell, Saturday, December 31, 1949
Police Officer James J. Donahue, Sunday, May 14, 1950
Police Officer Sanford S. Smith, Saturday, July 15, 1950
Police Officer Louis Toriello, Friday, October 6, 1950
Police Officer John Stanley GordonWednesday, February 28, 1951
Police Officer James J. Auter, Thursday, October 15, 1953
Police Officer Joseph J. DiDomenicoFriday, October 30, 1953
Police Officer Albert Savich, Sunday, December 13, 1953
Police Officer John S. Colonna, Thursday, December 24, 1953
Auxiliary Police Officer William James HenhoefferSunday, December 25, 1955
Police Officer Edward Flynn, Wednesday, August 15, 1956
Police Officer Daniel Meehan, Friday, January 11, 1957
Police Officer Stella Donahue, Friday, January 11, 1957
Police Officer Robert T. Roberts, Thursday, November 28, 1957
Police Officer James F. Kane, Friday, June 5, 1959
Police Officer Joseph A. Reiss, Saturday, August 8, 1959
Police Officer Joseph Franceschino, Monday, October 26, 1959
Police Officer William Duross, Friday, April 15, 1960
Police Officer Joseph McLaughlin, Friday, October 14, 1960
Police Officer William Powell, Saturday, November 19, 1960
Police Officer James F. Christie, Monday, November 27, 1961
Lieutenant Daniel J. McCann, Thursday, July 30, 1964
Park Guard Joseph Sankey, FPPD, Wednesday, September 9, 1964
Police Officer Raymond Lovett, Tuesday, December 7, 1965
Police Officer George Jacobs, Friday, July 15, 1966
Police Officer Richard Rehmann, Thursday, July 28, 1966
Police Officer Robert D. White, Friday, September 2, 1966
Police Officer Ernest Schwoeble, Monday, November 13, 1967
Police Officer Ross Brackett, Monday, July 15, 1968
Police Officer William Lackman, Thursday, October 17, 1968
Police Officer David Ellerbee, Friday, November 1, 1968
Police Officer Charles R. Reynolds, Sunday, October 26, 1969
Police Officer Frederick Cione, Friday, January 30, 1970
Police Officer Harry Lee Davis, Monday, April 6, 1970
Sergeant Frank R. Von Colln, FPPD, Saturday, August 29, 1970
Police Officer John M. McEntee Jr., Saturday, February 20, 1971
Police Officer Joseph V. Kelly, Sunday, February 21, 1971
Detective Douglas J. Alexander, Wednesday, February 9, 1972
Police Officer Raymond FredericksdorfSaturday, February 19, 1972
Police Officer Dominic Guglielmi, Friday, March 31, 1972
Police Officer Leo Paul Van WinkleTuesday, June 27, 1972
Police Officer James F. Duffin, Sunday, January 14, 1973
Police Officer Louis J. Vasger, Friday, April 13, 1973
Police Officer David F. Sampson, Wednesday, December 12, 1973
Sergeant Michael S. Lingham, Sunday, April 14, 1974
Sergeant William J. Kelleher, Wednesday, May 15, 1974
Police Officer James A. McKale Jr., Sunday, September 15, 1974
Police Officer Allan H. Lewin, Thursday, April 10, 1975
Police Officer Ronald Trumbette, Friday, May 23, 1975
Police Officer Artimus Johnson, Monday, October 20, 1975
Corporal William L. Daniels, Tuesday, December 16, 1975
Police Officer John S. Trettin, Sunday, February 29, 1976
Police Officer James E. Griffin, Friday, March 5, 1976
Lieutenant Walter Louis SzwajkowskiSunday, June 27, 1976
Police Officer Francis W. Magro, Wednesday, March 30, 1977
Police Officer James J. Ramp, Tuesday, August 8, 1978
Police Officer Artis Norris, Wednesday, July 11, 1979
Sergeant Wilfred Doyle, Friday, December 21, 1979
Police Officer William Washington, Wednesday, January 16, 1980
Police Officer Robert S. Smith, Wednesday, April 23, 1980
Police Officer Ernest W. Davis, Wednesday, July 16, 1980
Police Officer Garrett T. (Gary) FarrellFriday, September 26, 1980
Police Officer James N. Mason, Sunday, May 10, 1981
Police Officer Daniel J. Faulkner, Wednesday, December 9, 1981
Police Officer Richard Lendell, Friday, January 14, 1983
Police Officer Sandra Griffin, Sunday, February 13, 1983
Police Officer Stephen E. Sawka, Saturday, June 18, 1983
Police Officer John Francis Duffy, Saturday, December 10, 1983
Sergeant John H. McGill, Saturday, December 17, 1983
Police Officer William G. McCrackenSunday, February 5, 1984
Police Officer James A. Rementer, Tuesday, May 21, 1985
Police Officer Thomas Joseph TrenchTuesday, May 28, 1985
Police Officer Charles Patrick O'HanlonWednesday, November 13, 1985
Sergeant Ralph M. Galdi, Monday, March 31, 1986
Police Officer Daniel T. Gleason, Thursday, June 5, 1986
Police Officer William D. McCarthyTuesday, September 22, 1987
Police Officer Albert A. Valentino, Monday, October 23, 1989
Police Officer Winfred S. Hunter, Monday, June 4, 1990
Police Officer Joaquin Montijo, Friday, June 15, 1990
Police Officer Freddie Dukes, Tuesday, December 25, 1990
Police Officer Daniel R. Boyle, Wednesday, February 6, 1991
Police Officer Charles Thomas KnoxSunday, August 30, 1992
Police Officer Robert Hayes, Thursday, June 17, 1993
Police Officer Stephen Dmytryk, Tuesday, November 16, 1993
Police Officer Joseph Friel, Sunday, December 4, 1994
Police Officer Kevin Williams, Monday, July 31, 1995
Police Officer Lauretha Vaird, Tuesday, January 2, 1996
Police Officer Robert Porter, Friday, January 19, 1996
Police Officer Pauline Harness, Tuesday, June 18, 1996
Detective John Cousin, Thursday, August 15, 1996
Police Officer Leddie James BrownThursday, December 11, 1997
Police Officer Jose M. Ortiz, Thursday, September 21, 2000
Police Officer Thomas M. Bray, Tuesday, November 13, 2001
Detective Anthony Johnson, Tuesday, January 7, 2003
Police Officer Paris Williams Sr., Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Police Officer Gary Skerski, Monday, May 8, 2006

[edit] Popular Culture

The PPD is featured in the 1978 Italian zombie film Dawn of the Dead in which the PPD S.W.A.T. team clears out a tenament building which was harboring the undead.
The 1983 comedy Trading Places, Dan Akroyd's character is detained and questioned by members of the PPD.
The 1985 thriller Witness features Harrison Ford's character as a detective in the PPD who is hunted by corrupt members of the department.