On Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021, the Office of the Sheriff of the City and County of Philadelphia received a donation of two Labrador Retriever puppies, named Liberty and Justice, from The Philadelphia Phillies. These dogs, which were offered to the Sheriff's Office by Phillies pitcher Archie Bradley and his fiancée Raegan Poole, will be trained and become members of our K-9 Unit, which will help us better protect and serve the citizens of the City of Philadelphia. K-9 units are used to detect explosives and narcotics. The K-9 unit is a critical part of planning for both courthouse security and major events.

Pennsylvania state law clearly delineates the process for how a person can retrieve a firearm that has either they have relinquished or that has been taken from them by court order. If your situation is applicable in either of these situations, you must follow the letter of the law to retrieve your firearm. Otherwise, as specified by the following statute, it will be destroyed at the appropriate time.

ACT 79

Session of 2018

No. 2018-79

Section 7.  Section 6108.1(a) and (b) of Title 23 are amended and the section is amended by adding subsections to read:

§ 6108.1.  Return of relinquished firearms, other weapons and ammunition and additional relief.

(a)  General rule.--Any court order requiring the relinquishment of firearms, other weapons or ammunition shall provide for the return of the relinquished firearms, other weapons or ammunition to the defendant upon expiration of the order or dismissal of a petition for a protection from abuse order. The defendant may take custody of the firearms, other weapons and ammunition provided that the defendant is otherwise eligible to lawfully possess the relinquished items. The defendant shall not be required to pay any fees, costs or charges associated with the returns, whether those fees, costs or charges are imposed by the Pennsylvania State Police, any local law enforcement agency or any other entity, including a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer or licensed dealer in order to secure return of the relinquished firearms, other weapons or ammunition. The sheriff's or the appropriate law enforcement agency's office shall maintain a weapons return form that the defendant may fill out and return to the office once a temporary or final protection from abuse order has been dismissed or expires.

(a.1)  Conditions for return.--The following conditions must be satisfied prior to the firearms, other weapons or ammunition being returned to the defendant:

(1)  The firearms, other weapons or ammunition relinquished must not be evidence of a crime.

(2)  The defendant or owner must not be otherwise prohibited by applicable Federal or State law, or another condition, including, but not limited to, bail, from taking possession of the firearms, other weapons or ammunition seized.

(3)  The defendant or owner must have been given a clearance by the Pennsylvania State Police Instant Check System Unit or through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), requested by the sheriff's office.

(a.2)  Notice to plaintiff.--The plaintiff of the protection from abuse order shall be notified of the defendant's request to return the firearms, other weapons or ammunition.

(a.3)  Petition for return.--If there is a determination under subsection (a.1) that the defendant is ineligible to regain possession of the firearms, other weapons or ammunition, the defendant or owner may file a petition appealing that determination and seeking their return. A copy of the petition must be served upon the plaintiff, sheriff and the district attorney.

(a.4)  Abandonment.--Any firearms, other weapons or ammunition shall be deemed abandoned when the conditions under 18 Pa.C.S. § 6128(a) (relating to abandonment of firearms, weapons or ammunition) are satisfied and may then be disposed of in accordance with 18 Pa.C.S. § 6128.

§ 6128.  Abandonment of firearms, weapons or ammunition.

(a)  General rule.--Firearms, weapons or ammunition which are itemized on a list required under 23 Pa.C.S. § 6108(a)(7)(v) (relating to relief) or the possession or acquisition of which is prohibited under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9) (relating to unlawful acts) and relinquished into or otherwise coming into the custody of a police department, Pennsylvania State Police, coroner, medical examiner, district attorney, sheriff or licensed dealer shall be deemed abandoned when:

(1)  Relinquished by its lawful owner pursuant to court order or executed warrant, and no written request to return or otherwise dispose of the firearms, weapons or ammunition is made by the lawful owner or the lawful owner's attorney or duly appointed representative after a period of one year from the date an order of relinquishment or seizure has expired.

(2)  Found, discovered or otherwise passed into the custody of the police department, Pennsylvania State Police, coroner, medical examiner, district attorney, sheriff or licensed dealer and no owner can be determined after a documented search of the database of firearms sales maintained by the Pennsylvania State Police is made at the time the firearms come into the custody of the police department, coroner, medical examiner, district attorney, sheriff or licensed dealer and is again made one year from the date of the first documented search.

(b)  Methods of disposal.--If firearms, weapons or ammunition are deemed abandoned under subsection (a), the custodian may dispose of the firearms, weapons or ammunition by:

(1)  Arranging for the sale of the firearms, weapons or ammunition to a federally licensed firearms dealer by sealed bid with proceeds of the sale to be retained by the custodian.

(2)  Arranging for the lawful and complete destruction of the firearms, weapons or ammunition. Firearms, weapons or ammunition that cannot lawfully be sold to a federally licensed firearms dealer in this Commonwealth shall be destroyed.

(c)  Limitation.--A custodian may not dispose of firearms, weapons or ammunition deemed abandoned under subsection (a)(1) without first notifying the person who relinquished the firearms, weapons or ammunition. If the person who relinquished the firearms, weapons or ammunition fails to respond within 20 days to the notice, the custodian may proceed with disposal of the firearms, weapons or ammunition. Notification shall be by certified mail to:

(1)  an address where the person relinquishing the firearms, weapons or ammunition is now known by the custodian to reside;

(2)  the last known address of the person relinquishing the firearms, weapons or ammunition;

(3)  the address of the person relinquishing the firearms, weapons or ammunition which was provided at the time of relinquishment; or

(4)  the address of the person relinquishing the firearms, weapons or ammunition which is found after searching the available sources of address data maintained in the Commonwealth's databases of motor vehicle registration, motor vehicle driver licensing, occupational and professional licensure, corrections facilities and public assistance.

Sheriff Rochelle Bilal and the Office of the Philadelphia Sheriff, in partnership with the Philadelphia Police Department, Chester County Sheriff’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation (Violent Crime Task Force), Bucks County Sheriff’s Office, Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Narcotics Investigation, the Philadelphia Juvenile Probation and Parole, and the Pennsylvania State Police, held a press conference on Friday, July 30, 2021, announcing the results of “Operation Priority Takedown,” a sweep concentrating on perpetrators of violent crime and perpetrators with outstanding warrants and a history of gun charges.

Thirty-Seven (37) fugitives were taken into custody on charges including possession of firearms, aggravated assault, burglary, robbery., strangulation and homicide. The burglary and robbery-related arrests were included as part of this operation are individuals with a history of violence. Various types of ammunition and weapons were recovered today, including an AR-15, double-barreled shotgun, and multiple handguns.

To learn more and to submit your application, click here.

The Philadelphia Sheriff's Office is now accepting applications for the position of Deputy Sheriff from applicants without previous law-enforcement experience. This is an entry-level position, where new hires will learn and become certified in both Civil and Criminal enforcement within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  Employees learn to transport prisoners from State, County, City and courthouse institutions, provide protection for courthouse and judicial staff, and public safety for all judicial facilities, and maintain custody of prisoners during legal proceedings.  

This work involves regular exposure to unpredictable conditions and physical effort is frequently required.  Work is performed under the close supervision of a higher-level deputy sheriff. 

To learn more and to submit your application, click here.

To apply, click here.

The Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office is now accepting applications from experienced qualified law enforcement professionals for the position of Deputy Sheriff. For professionals with five or more years’ experience the starting salary is $60,273.

Requirements include but are not limited to one of the following:

• A current Deputy Sheriff Training Act II-114 certification

OR

• Deputy Sheriff Training Act II-114 certification that was valid within a three-year period.

• Completion of the Deputy Sheriff’s Training Act II-114 training under Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, through Deputy Sheriffs' Education and Training Program within the three-year period.

• Successfully completed a recognized Pennsylvania Municipal Police Officers' Education and Training Commission (MPOETC) Act 120 basic training course.

• Experience as a municipal police officer in Pennsylvania with either a current or past MPOETC certification card.

• Employment as a Pennsylvania State Police Officer as documented by a copy of academy graduation certificate and notice of retirement.

Salary, according to number of years with law enforcement experience:

$49,631 – Prior Law Enforcement Experience with One Year or Less

$52,289 – Prior Law Enforcement Experience with more than one year but less than three years

$54,291 – Prior Law Enforcement of three years but less than four years

$57,606 – Prior Law Enforcement Experience of Four Years but less than Five Years

$60,273 – Prior Law Enforcement Experience of Five Years or More

To submit an application, click here.

The July 23 deadline to apply is fast approaching!

If you’re a human being with at least one compassionate bone in your body, then you don’t like sheriff sales. These events, held to recoup unpaid mortgages for banks and unpaid taxes for the City of Philadelphia, signify nothing so much as the loss of a family’s home – the latest and most terrible tragedy in a long string of misfortunes ending in the bang of a gavel.

The Sheriff Sale Resource Page
Now that the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office has successfully made the transition to online Sheriff Sales, this page has been developed to provide bidders, homeowners and anyone interested in the Sheriff Sale process with all relevant information about the sales. For people who want to participate in the bidding process who don't have internet access, you can download the paper bidding documents here. If you still have questions that remain unanswered by the information contained in the links below, please email Greg Salisbury, the Public Information Officer for the Sheriff's Office, at Esta dirección de correo electrónico está siendo protegida contra los robots de spam. Necesita tener JavaScript habilitado para poder verlo..

The New Auction Site
This link will take you to the dedicated Philadelphia Sheriff Sales pages for both mortgage foreclosure sales and tax sales at Bid4Assets, the company chosen to hold the sales for the Sheriff's Office. These pages include sale properties, instructions on how to register to bid on properties, and much more.

The Sheriff Sale Town Halls
Sheriff Rochelle Bilal and her team held two virtual town halls on the switch to online sales. The first town hall explains how the transition occurred and features a lengthy question-and-answer session. The second town hall features a detailed mock sale that mimics how Sheriff Sales will now occur. You can view both of these town halls, as well as other meetings held by Sheriff Bilal, on the Sheriff's YouTube page.

Frequently Asked Questions 
This page contains the answers to the dozens of questions asked during town halls and emailed in over the past few months about Sheriff Sales - how they work, what can and can't happen, resources for bidders and homeowners, and much, much more.

Off-Line Bidding 
We make it easy for all to participate.  Click here for the offline bid form for mortgage foreclosure sales and here for Tax Sales.  You may also request one by e-mail to Esta dirección de correo electrónico está siendo protegida contra los robots de spam. Necesita tener JavaScript habilitado para poder verlo., calling the Real Estate team at 215-686-3565 or sending correspondence to Philadelphia Sheriff, ATTN:  Real Estate, 100 South Broad Street, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19110.  Please be sure that you request this information early so that you have enough time to receive the information and ask any questions before the auction. 

Sales Calendar 
Click here for the monthly calendar of all Sheriff Sales.

Conditions of Sale
It is essential that prospective bidders familiarize themselves with the conditions of sale for both the tax sales and the mortgage foreclosure sales.

Hello,
As sheriff sales resume in Philadelphia, it has become increasingly apparent that after a year without such sales – and with them resuming in an online-only capacity – that a number of questions and misconceptions about the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office and its role in the foreclosure process have persisted. Most, if not all, of these questions can be answered by going to our FAQ page or watching the town halls we have conducted on our YouTube page.

Foreclosures
Since its founding in 1682, the Office of the Philadelphia Sheriff has been responsible for a wide range of duties – but it has never foreclosed on properties. The foreclosure process is a court process that can take years. The Sheriff’s Office is not involved in the foreclosure process. It executes the orders of the court to sell properties that have gone through the lengthy, multi-stage foreclosure process to arrive at the point of being put up for Sheriff Sale.

The Sheriff’s authority to conduct sales
The Sheriff’s Office Sheriff Sale process is controlled by and mandated by the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure for handling the properties pre-sale, in-sale and post-sale. The same rules that were in place for in-person sales will also be in place for online sales. The only thing that has changed about the sale process is that it will now be taking place online. Just as the other counties throughout the commonwealth have abided by these rules to restart their own Sheriff Sales without issue, the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office is committed to doing the same.