Detenidos 34 criminales endurecidos

Filadelfia, 3 de julio - La Oficina del Sheriff de Filadelfia arrestó a 34 hombres y mujeres que buscaban serias ofensas, incluyendo un hombre con tres violaciones de libertad condicional por asesinato, en una incursión en toda la ciudad en las primeras horas del 1 de julio.

% U201C Tomamos muchos delincuentes violentos de las calles de Filadelfia durante esta búsqueda sorpresa de criminales buscados,% u201D dijo Jewell Williams, sheriff de la ciudad y el condado de Filadelfia. Muchos de los capturados tuvieron varias órdenes pendientes contra ellos por cargos que iban desde el asesinato, la falta de pago de manutención de menores, el que debía más de $ 85,000, el asalto, poner en peligro el bienestar de un menor, intimidar a testigos y el contacto ilegal con un menor de edad Los oficiales del Departamento de Policía de Filadelfia ayudaron en este barrido de equipo.

Es el trabajo de los hombres y mujeres de esta Oficina proteger a todos los miembros de la comunidad y los visitantes de la ciudad y sofocar la violencia futura. % U201CAs un padre I% u2019m especialmente preocupado por las familias que sufren cuando uno o más miembros de un hogar son citados por abuso doméstico creando un ambiente violento y hostil, dijo Williams. Digo a todos; Mantenga sus temperamentos, dé sus brazos, y proteja a sus seres queridos para un verano de paz.% U201D

Devolver millones de fondos en exceso a los propietarios

Filadelfia, 19 de abril de 2017% u2014Testificando en audiencias del presupuesto del Ayuntamiento, el Sheriff Jewell Williams describió los millones de dólares en nuevos ingresos generados por las ventas mensuales del Sheriff. La vigorosa recaudación de impuestos morosos a través de la subasta ha resultado en $ 60 millones de dólares adicionales por año en impuestos y cargos que ahora se envían al fondo general de City% u2019s.

En mi primer año en el cargo, Sheriff Sales recaudó $ 27 millones en impuestos atrasados ​​y cargos% u201D, dijo el Sheriff Williams. % U201CDesde tres ventas al mes en 2012, ahora llevamos a cabo seis ventas mensuales, incluyendo una venta del banco de tierra; Y hay evidencia de que el atraso en los casos de delincuencia está disminuyendo. Si bien todavía procesamos más de 27,000 propiedades al año, la acumulación de morosidad y las cantidades recolectadas son cada vez más pequeñas. % U201C

De las 27,000 propiedades procesadas cada año, aproximadamente 7,000 van a una venta final y las propiedades de procesamiento son una operación enormemente mejorada. Cuando el Sheriff asumió el cargo en 2012, se requirió hasta 120 días después de la liquidación de una propiedad para ser devueltos a un uso productivo. El año pasado, el tiempo entre la venta de una propiedad y la emisión de una nueva escritura se redujo a 15 días.

La oficina también ha dedicado recursos para encontrar a las personas a las que se debe un exceso de fondos de la venta de su propiedad. Después de que una propiedad es vendida, liquidada y todos los pasivos y deudas han sido pagados y registrados, el dueño de registro en el momento en que el tribunal ordenó la venta (% u201Cdefendant% u201D) puede recuperar cualquier exceso de saldo restante en la cuenta a través del Sheriff% u2019s Defendant Asset Recovery Team también conocido como DART.

Históricamente, sólo una fracción de estos fondos excedentes fueron devueltos a los propietarios anteriores. Sheriff Jewell Williams hizo una prioridad cuando asumió el cargo en 2012 para buscar los créditos debido al aumento de los esfuerzos de la unidad DART. Bajo su liderazgo, la unidad ha sido más agresiva en la validación de los acusados ​​que son elegibles para recibir el pago y la conexión con esas personas para poner un cheque en sus manos.

El año pasado, DART localizó a 140 personas y les devolvió $ 2.2 millones en fondos excedentes. Desde 2012, casi $ 11 millones han sido devueltos a más de 400 personas. Si la propiedad se ha vendido en la venta del Sheriff en los últimos 18 meses, los antiguos propietarios pueden presentar una reclamación con la unidad DART en el sitio web del Sheriff% u2019s .

Después de 18 meses, los fondos que no pueden ser devueltos al propietario del registro se envían (escheated) al estado como fondos no reclamados. En seis (6) años, $ 50 millones han sido pagados al estado. Los propietarios pueden solicitar este dinero a través del proceso de los fondos no reclamados del Departamento del Tesoro de Pennsylvania. El año pasado, la oficina de la oficina del Sheriff sacó $ 7,775,416 al estado en fondos no reclamados.

La oficina del Sheriff también ha continuado sus sólidos esfuerzos para educar al público sobre los servicios que ofrece a través de talleres, seminarios y eventos en toda la ciudad.

Otros puntos destacados del testimonio del Sheriff ante el Consejo son:

% U2022 Formación de nuevos Diputados para la unidad de servicio de warrant
% U2022 Operaciones de seguridad para la oficina de libertad condicional y libertad condicional de la ciudad% u2019s
% U2022 Proteja las bolsas para eliminar el uso del teléfono celular en las salas de audiencias
% U2022 Seguridad mejorada para el Ayuntamiento
% U2022 Gunlock giveaway-2800 free gunlocks han sido puestos a disposición de los ciudadanos a petición

Acerca de la Oficina del Sheriff% u2019s
La Oficina del Sheriff de Filadelfia está comprometida a servir y proteger las vidas, propiedades y derechos de todas las personas dentro de un marco de altos estándares éticos y conducta profesional en todo momento. Estamos comprometidos con la excelencia en la seguridad pública y los servicios profesionales, y garantizar que estos servicios son siempre satisfactorios y de la más alta calidad posible.

By action taken by City Council, certain fees imposed by the Sheriff’s Office will increase on May 1, 2017. These fees have not been modified since 1997 and are designed to reflect the current cost of services provided by the Sheriff’s Office.

You'll keep your phone, but in a locked bag

If you have business Monday at Philadelphia’s Criminal Justice Center, expect delays.

It’s the first day of a new court policy requiring most civilians entering the building to turn off their cellphones and put them into a magnetically sealed “Yondr” pouch that keeps phones locked within a designated no-phone zone.

You’ll be able to keep your cellphone with you, but you won’t be able to use it. When you’re ready to leave the courthouse at 13th and Filbert Streets, you’ll return to court personnel, who will unlock the pouch and return the phone.

“It’s a 21st century solution to a 21st century problem,” Jacqueline F. Allen, administrative judge for the Philadelphia Common Pleas Court, said at a recent news conference unveiling the new system.

Not that there won’t be a learning curve before the public gets used to the new policy.

Court administrator Joseph H. Evers said added personnel will be in the courthouse lobby Monday to help guide the public through the phone-bagging process and security. He said the courts have acquired 4,500 Yondr pouches at a cost of $50,000.

The new system is court officials’ latest effort to deal with the problems caused by cellphones in a criminal courthouse. Rarely does a day go by without somebody’s cellphone going off in one of the building’s 11 floors of courtrooms.

Usually, the offender’s phone is confiscated by court personnel and returned at the end of the day. But sometimes an offender is incarcerated or fined for contempt of court. And then there is the continuing problem of intimidation: friends of people on trial taking surreptitious photos of witnesses to post on social media.

Years ago, people entering the courthouse were required to surrender their cellphones at security. The phones were placed in individual locked boxes until the owners left the building.

The system was scrapped because of the delays it caused and complaints that phones were damaged or returned to the wrong person.

“The new system keeps the phones in their hands,” Evers said. “It makes them their responsibility, not ours.”

Allen said she first read of the Yondr mobile phone locked box in an October article in the New York Times about how entertainers including Dave Chappelle have begun using them to prevent interruptions and recordings of their concerts.

Yondr has said the Philadelphia criminal courthouse is the first to use the phone pouches for all courthouse visitors.

Evers said the courthouse collected about 3,500 cellphones daily when it used its own locked box system.

Complaints about the new system are likely to come from lawyers who cannot phone clients who are late for a hearing and clients who can’t find their lawyers.

Some people will be exempted from the new requirement: current and former judges, current court employees, lawyers and law enforcement personnel with proper identification, people with disabilities who need an electronic device to communicate, credentialed news reporters with ID.

Jurors will not have to use the pouches but will surrender their phones to courtroom personnel if picked for a trial.

For everyone else, Evers had a suggestion that these days seems almost quaint: Use the pay phones on each floor of the Criminal Justice Center.

Written by Joseph A. Slobodzian for the Inquirer.

This Valentine’s Day give a real gift of love – a gun lock says Philadelphia Sheriff Jewell Williams.

Please don’t keep an unlocked gun where children can find it and accidently shoot it. Carelessness like that results in death caused by a child at least once every other day in the United States. Last year one four-year-old found a gun that slid from under the seat of the car his mother was driving. It was loaded and he shot and killed her.

So think about protecting your loved ones….and pick up a free gun lock at Sheriff Jewell Williams’ Office in the Land Title Building, 100 S. Broad Street – 5th Floor. No questions asked!

We are open Monday thru Friday from 8:30 am – 4:30 pm.

Got a Gun – Get a Lock

Philadelphia, PA--Harold and Barbara Shapiro were the recent recipients of a check personally handed to them by Philadelphia Sheriff Jewell Williams in recognition of the historic mark of returning over $10 million during his administration to individuals whose homes sold at a sheriff’s sale for more than the taxes owed.

“This ($10 million mark) reflects the hard work and dedication this office, and specifically the Defendant Asset Recovery Team (D.A.R.T), has put into ensuring that any excess funds generated from a sale is returned as quickly as possible,” said Sheriff Williams.

The Shapiro’s, lifelong residents of Philadelphia before moving recently to Croydon, Pennsylvania, said the money would be used to pay a few bills, then shared with family members.

“There are a couple of things we need to take care of,” said Barbara Shapiro, “then we will share the rest with family.” Also, she said, she will soon be losing her job because of downsizing and the money couldn’t have come at a better time.

“We take every opportunity to educate people on how to claim money they may be owed, and, to the best of our abilities, make sure they know they can file the proper paperwork for a claim by themselves,” said Sheriff Williams. “A middle person, who can legally charge as much as 15-percent of the amount recovered, is really not necessary. They can keep it all.”

For more information on how to apply for excess money you think may be owed from the sale of a property, you can reach the sheriff’s D.A.R.T. Unit at 215-686-3532.

SOUTH PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Members of the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office were dispatched Friday to a South Philadelphia Five Below store for an important job - to buy gifts for children who need a little help this holiday season.

"Disabled veterans' families were going to be doing this year. We're also going to be doing family shelters, we're going to be doing schools. It's just all the way around. We're trying to reach as many families, the less fortunate," said Sheriff's Office Inspector Michael Bastone.

The list of who they are helping has expanded since the office started this tradition several years ago. The sale of T-shirts have raised more than $5,000 this year for the gifts.

"We have shirts printed every year, sheriff's shirts, which have a nice toy drive on the back. We sell these shirts for $20, and then the proceeds is used for the toys," said Bastone.

After making their list and checking it twice, they carried the goods away until it's time to play Santa.

"For us it's really great. To do this it's awesome. I mean it really touches our hearts for many of the officers," said Bastone.

Santa has a sleigh, and the Sheriff's Office has their own transport van and an entire fleet. They will use those vehicles to transport the toys to the children starting Saturday.

Reported by Annie McCormick for 6ABC News.

The majority of unintentional shooting deaths involve children playing with a loaded, unlocked gun in the home.

November is Child Safety & Prevention Month.  Every day we adults are responsible for the safety of our children.

In August City Council President Darrell Clarke and I kicked off the Got a Gun – Get a Lock initiative to encourage every gun owner that has children living with them to make sure that guns are securely locked up.

I encourage you to check out the above video and if you have a gun at home please stop by my office at the Land Title Building at 100 S. Broad Street on the 5th Floor and pick up a free gun lock. No questions asked.

As adults we must lead by example.