Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Sgt. Timothy Simpson (continued)


Sgt. Timothy Simpson






The hearse holding the body of fallen police sgt. Timothy Simpson arrives at Resurrection Cemetery in Bensalem on Monday November 24 following the funeral mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in center city. Simpson was killed on November 17 when a felon rammed his car into the officer's patrol car.

Friday, November 21, 2008

PC week 8, The Campaign for Working Families


Cheryl Swinton has volunteered for The Campaign for Working Families for the past 4 years. The organization needs 500 volunteers each year to help people file their taxes and they aim to work with clients who receive an earned income tax credit.

"My first customer sold me, she was a nursing student with two young children at home. She was charged $600 to get her taxes done elsewhere and that shocked me that someone would charge her so much. Her taxes were so simple, it took me less than 45 minutes to complete them. I just thought it was ridiculous because we can do your taxes within a week and we do it all for free.
I wanted to help people and I enjoy doing taxes. You wonder about your clients, I would like to see that first customer again. "

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Rally to save Holmesburg Library


Katie McCole, 7, stands on the steps of Holmesburg Library during a rally against the budget cuts as retired librarian, Cathie Huntzberry speaks to the crowd of at least one hundred. Several libraries across the city will be shut down in an effort to reduce spending.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Pastor Fran Pultro

The Philadelphia Police Clergy program is being decentralized and has a new name; the Police Chaplain program. Pastor Fran Pultro of the Calvary Chapel King's Highway is leading the 15th district and looking for more faith leaders to join him.

4th Tour of Duty

"The hardest part (about going to Iraq) is that he won't remember me when I get back." Reid Mulholland says of his 8 month old son Cole who was hospitalized for the 13th time on Monday afternoon. Mulholland will be leaving in January for his 4th tour of duty in Iraq in order to keep his health insurance for his son and wife Michele.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Annalise Lawrence



14 month old Annalise Lawrence was born with a life-threatening diaphragmatic hernia. She spent 3 weeks in the hospital as a newborn with her heart in her right shoulder, a collapsed left lung, intestines on her upper left side. The happy baby is now perfectly healthy, but her mother Kelsey, says she is very lucky.

PC week 7, police ride along in the 7th district






"I like being out here (patrolling the district by car). That's where I live right there. (Captain Joseph Zaffino drives by his home in the 7th district) I have ripped this house up from top to bottom. I built that little shed in the back there. I use this little track right here for running.
The nice thing is, I live in the district. So when I go in a car and I go out, I come across a lot of my guys. They know that I live in the district. I'm right here, I care about what goes on in every nook and cranny of this place. When I go out to get milk, I'm constantly looking around because I'm responsible (for this district). Even though I'm off duty, I'm still looking. Just the other day I was coming home from a BBQ and I had my wife in the car with me, I was on Worthington Road. I happened to look at the chruch and I saw a latter against one of the houses and I saw two feet falling into the house! And I'm thinking, this is a burglary in process. So I get on my phone and I said, hey send me a couple cars up here, I think I just saw a burglary in process. I just saw a set of legs falling into one of the rooms. It turned out the father had gone out for the day. His kid was locked out of the house and the kid climbs up and breaks into his own house. This had a good outcome but as I was saying, you're always looking.
This is what I've always wanted to do, be a cop.
My older brother, Dominic, he's 53, he's in major crimes. My younger brother, Rob is in the 15th district, he's 37. My son is espiring to be a trooper.
Does it make you nervous?
I'm not nervous for myself, but I'm nervous for him. When you start thinking about the 5 officers that we've lost over the past few years. Even though I work inside, I worked the street for 22 years of my 27 year career. Yeah there's times that you get nervous and if anyone ever tells you they don't get nervous, they're lying. It's just the way it is. I'm nervous for my son. I have experience, I know how to handle myself. You worry about these young kids, just coming on the job and you hope they don't experience things the hard way. I was lucky, I went through 27 years, I only got hurt a couple of times. I've had a pretty healthy career. There's always a potential for violence, and that's just the nature of the job. So the nervousness will be there regardless of where my son is."

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

PC week 6 - St. Christopher's Hospital, NICU

Heena Patel, RN, clinical manager, recently won employee of the month at St. Christopher's Hospital.
When asked if any cases stood out in her career she said
"Yeah, I took care of this little boy that was 26 weeks premature. I got really attached to him. He needed a trach to survive.(Patel points to a photo on the wall of a toddler and his mother)
They moved to Seattle and whenever they come back they come to see me. He just turned four in September. (Patel smiles proudly)
I just love my job, this is what I've always wanted to do; being a nurse."