Last fall we reported that a resident helped prevent burglary when he saw an unknown man standing on his neighbor’s porch and called 911. A similar situation occurred earlier this week, according to police.

On Tuesday, Feb. 12, at about 11:15 a.m., officers from the 18th district responded to a “burglary in progress” call on the 4500 block of Sansom Street.  A witness told police that he had observed a man trying to force his way through the front window. The witness chased the man from the porch and police found him a block away on another front porch on the 4400 block of Sansom.

Police chased the man down Sansom and observed him discard a black handgun before apprehending him after a brief struggle on the 4400 block of Chestnut Street. Police recovered the loaded handgun, which had been reported stolen. The suspect was carrying a bag that contained an Amazon Kindle, two digital cameras, two iPods and a tablet computer. Police say he confessed to burglaries on the 4500 block of Pine Street, the 400 block of S. 45th Street, and the 4500 block of Sansom.

CommunityCam maps public and private security cameras in the city.

Using surveillance videos in solving a crime has become a common practice for law enforcement officials since many businesses, organizations and individuals now install security cameras as a safety measure. But what about simple folks who need this information but don’t have access to it? In an effort to help residents prevent and solve crime, VideoSurveillance.com has recently rolled out the CommunityCam program that maps public and private security cameras throughout Philadelphia. The program is first launching in our city, with a goal to eventually expand nationwide.

Anyone can use the map either for locating cameras that may have captured a criminal activity or for choosing a safer walking route. The map is crowdsourced so any resident, business owner, neighborhood group, or government organization can add locations of surveillance cameras to help their neighbors.

“Unfortunately, information about security cameras has not been made available to the public so someone who has been hurt, wronged, or worse does not have access to all the resources that could help make things right. With this effort, we hope that neighbors will start working together to help each other and to make all cities and towns safe,” said Josh Daniels, President of VideoSurveillance.com.

A neighbor, Stephanie, said that the program is interesting, too, because it’s crowdsourced – so neighbors and residents can help each other out. “As a young(ish) single woman, new to Philadelphia, this makes me feel more secure,” said Stephanie.

Here’s how you can use CommunityCam:

– Visit http://www.videosurveillance.com/communitycam

– Navigate the map using the directional arrows

– Click the blue balloons to see addresses for and types of cameras

– If you have an outdoor surveillance camera, you’re encouraged to add it to the map.
 

Philadelphia has more homicides per capita than any big city in the country. Guns are used in most of those murders. More than 100 people were shot in December in the city. A “conversation and exploration” will be held beginning at 1 p.m. this Sunday, Feb. 3, at The Calvary Center (48th and Baltimore) aimed at figuring out ways to curb gun violence.

Speakers at “Addressing Gun Violence in Philadelphia: A Conversation & Exploration” include Erica Atwood, a community engagement specialist with the Mayor’s office, and Daniel O’Brien, the assistant managing director of Philly Rising.

Free childcare will be available at The Calvary Center from 1-2:30 p.m. Write wpmf  -at- wpmf.org to sign up for child care.

Kol Tzedek Synagogue, West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship and Calvary United Methodist Church are sponsoring the event.

Photos by Vinicio Guevara.

An overnight car chase involving a silver colored vehicle fleeing from police northbound on 46th Street resulted in several smashed parked cars and two people injured inside another car at the intersection of 46th St. and Springfield Avenue. Our readers reported the car chase and sent photos around midnight. The chase started at 45th and Woodland, police said. The man injured in the crash was taken to the hospital and was undergoing surgery, NBC10 reports.

As police search for two suspects involved in the abduction of a 5-year-old girl from a West Philly elementary school earlier this month, the reward for information leading to their arrest and conviction has reached $80,000, according to the Special Victims Unit.

The girl was abducted from the Bryant Elementary school at 60th and Cedar on the morning of January 14 by a woman dressed in dark colored Muslim clothing and taken to a house in the area where she was joined by a man. The girl was held in the house overnight and found by a passerby early the next morning hiding under a slide in a playground at 69th St and Marshall Road in Upper Darby.

Police are also looking for a third “person of interest” described as a 14- to 17-year-old black female who may go by the
name of “China/Chyna”, thin build, light skinned, with long straight black hair. She was last seen wearing a hoody and tights.

Anyone with information about this case are asked to contact the Philadelphia Police Department by calling 215-686-TIPS (8477), the Special Victims Unit at 215-685-3251, or 911. You can also email to: tips@phillypolice.com.

– Mike Lyons

Police have arrested a 27-year-old man in connection with the rash of tire slashings that occurred in the early morning hours of January 7 on the 4700-5000 block of Hazel Avenue and the 5300 block of Chancellor Street.

Harry Gaines from the 6000 block of Angorra Terrace is charged with criminal conspiracy, criminal mischief and related offenses. He was arrested yesterday on the 5200 block of Market Street.

Tires were slashed on some 59 vehicles between 5:30 a.m. and 6:40 a.m. on January 7. Surveillance video showed a man puncturing tires while a woman walked on the sidewalk nearby. The woman turned herself into police on Jan. 11.

Police offered a $10,000 reward leading to an arrest and said they received several useful anonymous tips.