Fox Chase: Taking
a bite out of crime

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

The staff at a Fox Chase pharmacy have a dog to thank for saving them from an almost-certain armed robbery or worse last month.
And now the dog’s owner, Philadelphia Police Officer Scott DiDonato, is getting all the credit. Last week, the Fox Chase Town Watch honored the officer with its Hero Award for sniffing out two would-be bandits.
But Sonny the pit bull got nothing but perhaps a hug and kiss from his owner.
The heroic deed occurred on Aug. 19 as Sonny was walking with the off-duty DiDonato near Rhawn Street and Verree Road at about 8 a.m. The duo stumbled upon what only could be viewed as an imminent crime scene.
Two suspicious-looking men seemed to be "casing" Verree Pharmacy, at 7960 Verree Road.
"They were pacing back and forth and looking in the back of the business," DiDonato recalled during the monthly meeting of the Fox Chase Homeowners Association and Town Watch on Sept. 12. "The hair on my neck stood up."
Unbeknownst to DiDonato, the suspects had earlier been reported to police for loitering behind the business. The off-duty officer also called 911.
But before a patrol car arrived, DiDonato and Sonny saw one of the men stash an object underneath a nearby parked car. The piece looked like a handgun.
When officers Joseph Dydak and Michael McDermott of the 2nd Police District arrived, man and dog showed them where to find the gun, which turned out to be a stolen and loaded .40-caliber pistol. The on-duty officers spotted and arrested the two suspects on a nearby block.
They were identified as Edwin Travis Freeman, 25, of the 700 block of Rhawn St., and Brian Turner, 24, of Wilmington, Del. They were charged with attempted robbery, criminal conspiracy and firearms violations.
DiDonato and his wife Beth, who also is a police officer, recently moved into the neighborhood.
"I thank you for having the courage of stepping up and taking action," said Town Watch president Steve Phillips.
Phillips hopes that DiDonato’s actions set an example for other residents in the community. Prevention is the best way to fight crime and can be accomplished by reporting suspicious activity when it occurs by calling 911.
"These are the important deeds we need to keep our community safe," Phillips said.
City Councilman Brian O’Neill presented DiDonato with a Council citation. Sonny did not attend the meeting.
In other meeting business, Philadelphia Deputy Managing Director Tom Conway and Inspector General Seth Williams each reported on the duties and activities of their public offices.
Conway oversees seven programs for the managing director’s office, including CLIP and the city’s anti-graffiti program, both of which are meant to improve the appearance of the city’s neighborhoods.
Last year, the anti-graffiti program provided about 500 groups around the city with supplies to paint over graffiti. The city offers paint, brushes and other materials, while volunteers provide the manpower.
Meanwhile, the city has its own anti-graffiti crews. Sixteen two-man teams roam the city each day responding to graffiti complaints and assessing unreported graffiti wherever it may appear.
The teams removed graffiti from 110,000 properties last year, Conway said. Of those, only 10,000 were reported to the city. The crews found the other 100,000 on their own.
The hot line to report graffiti is 215-686-0000.
CLIP, meanwhile, is now in its fifth year of operation in Northeast Philadelphia and has processed more than 50,000 property violations in that time.
CLIP officers "write up" property owners for violations including overgrown grass and weeds, pet waste, trash in the yard, putting their trash cans on the curb too early or failing to remove the cans after trash day.
Generally, when CLIP receives a complaint about a property, an inspector will visit the site within 24 to 48 hours. If the inspector writes a citation, the owner has 10 days to fix the problem with no further sanction.
If the problem persists, CLIP will mow the lawn or clean the yard, then bill the property owner for the work at predetermined rates. Conway warned that CLIP rates can be pretty high — for instance, $150 to mow a small patch of grass.
The city will place a lien on the property until the owner pays the outstanding fees. CLIP will take persistent violators to court.
"Either way, we’ll get our money," Conway said.
The CLIP hot line is 215-683-CLIP (2547).
Meanwhile, Williams’ office is largely responsible for keeping the city work force in line.
Former Mayor W. Wilson Goode created the inspector general position in 1984 by executive order in an attempt to restore some public confidence in city government following corruption scandals like Abscam, in which three City Council members took bribes from phony Arab sheiks.
In November 2005, Williams replaced William F. Gill III, who was forced out of the office after a local news crew filmed him allegedly driving home to Medford, N.J., daily.
Ironically, one of the jobs of the inspector general is to enforce the city’s employee-residency law, Williams said.
Mayor John Street’s appointment of Williams came months after Williams’ failed attempt to unseat incumbent District Attorney Lynne Abraham, his former boss, in a Democratic primary election.
Widespread speculation has Williams running for district attorney again in 2009, when Abraham has said she will retire.
For now, Williams said, he’s focused on exposing corruption in all levels of city government as well as making his office a permanent one via City Charter change.
Most cases involve employee misconduct, like sleeping on the job, taking an extra-long lunch or using a city vehicle for personal business, Williams said. But some cases rise to criminality, like trash truck workers or water department maintenance crews accepting cash from civilians for certain considerations.
The mayor’s alleged use of a police officer to hold his place in line at an iPhone store might also be something worthy of investigation by his office, Williams acknowledged.
However, as the existence of his office is solely at the discretion of the mayor’s office, there is "an inherent conflict of interests," Williams said.
Call 215-686-1770 to report suspected city employee misconduct to the inspector general.
The next Fox Chase Homeowners and Fox Chase Town Watch meeting will be on Wednesday, Nov. 14, at 7:30 p.m., at Cpl. John Loudenslager American Legion Post 366, 7976 Oxford Ave. ••
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com