Philadelphia Police announced on Monday (26 June) that they arrested 175 individuals over a three-day period in Kensington last week. Commissioner Danielle Outlaw described the initiative as an effort to combat crime in an area with some of the city’s highest rates of gun violence and drug sales.
During a news conference that also featured remarks from Mayor Jim Kenney, Outlaw stated that the police and a number of other agencies planned for several weeks prior to executing warrants in the neighborhood beginning on Tuesday. While standing next to a table containing confiscated firearms and drugs, Outlaw stated that the operation was βa reminder that we are out here working β¦ [and] this is what the results look like.β
Kenney stated he believed the initiative was an essential step for accountability, saying, βWhatβs happening in Kensington is unacceptable. One life lost to gun violence or to an overdose is one too many.β
According to officials, the FBI, the DEA, the local office of Homeland Security Investigations, the State Attorney General’s Office, SEPTA, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, and the city health department assisted Philadelphia police in the investigation.
A number of the operation’s particulars were relatively scant: About half of those arrested, none of whom were identified by police, were charged with drug possession with intent to distribute, while 12 were charged with illegal gun possession in addition to drug offenses. Ten more were sought on warrants for violent crimes, including three who were suspected of being involved in shootings.
Do you know that Portland police detained a 58-year-old guy on suspicion of shooting another man twice on Friday night (June 23) in the Cully neighborhood of Northeast Portland? Court filings state that Andrew McNulty was detained at the Multnomah County Detention Center for attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, and weapon usage:
Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore stated that officers seized 27 firearms and narcotics with a street value of over $1 million over the course of three days. However, police stated that it was too early to determine the precise types and quantities of narcotics they had recovered, as lab testing could take weeks and samples frequently contain more than one drug.
Over the years, law enforcement agencies have, with varying regularity, announced drug seizures and gun arrests in connection with investigations concentrated in Kensington, where shootings and drug sales have historically outpaced other areas of the city. Vanore and others acknowledged that despite these enforcement efforts, such offenses have long been a problem in the region.
Other news sites have also reported on the story on social media:
Philly Police said Monday that they arrested 175 people last week during a three-day stretch in Kensington.
Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said the operation was βa reminder that we are out here working … [and] this is what the results look like.βhttps://t.co/sva0hFFQ4T
β The Philadelphia Inquirer (@PhillyInquirer) June 26, 2023
According to data from the District Attorney’s Office, arrests for drug sales have generally decreased in recent years. From 2011 to 2013, for instance, at least 6,000 new drug sales cases were accused annually. According to the data, last year’s total was approximately 2,700.
Nonetheless, Vanore stated that citywide gun violence has begun to decline this year after reaching record highs over the past three years, and “I’m hoping that seizures like this are a part of it.”
Outlaw stated –
βWeβre hoping that when we do things like this, it not only opens the doors to our enforcement actions, but it also reminds people that weβre still here, even though you donβt always see us.β
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