Philadelphia Police Commissioner: Number Of Shootings Down In City
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Philadelphia Police Department says although the murder rate is up, shootings overall are down throughout the city.
It seems like there's a shooting almost daily, but the numbers are down. Deputy Police Commissioner Joe Sullivan says the murder rate has actually dropped from the beginning of July.
"Right now, we're seeing a six percent rise in homicides but that figure has come down significantly from earlier in the year. Equally important, though, is shooting victims overall are down eight percent this year," said Sullivan.
Sullivan says the decrease in shootings can be linked to a number of factors, including creation of the intelligence bureau, which takes all intelligence gathered internally and externally.
"And then it is very carefully distributed throughout the department to make sure valuable intelligence is reaching the officers on the street," said Sullivan.
Sullivan wants citizens to be part of keeping this city safe. He says foot patrols and bike patrols help keep those lines of communication open.
