The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page B04

B4 www.philly.com THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER Wednesday, September 20, 2006 Report: Violent crime up in city adding that Philadelphia had been hit hard in recent years by the number of guns on the street, which are responsible for 85 percent of the city's homicides. "You can't ignore the proliferation of handguns in this city and the proliferation in comparison to some of the other cities that are larger than Philadelphia," Ross said. In 2004, Philadelphia had nearly the same number of confiscations of illegal firearms as New York did, even though New York has a population more than five times the size of place Philadelphia as the worst of the worst if the list were expanded to the 12 largest cities. Detroit has 2,358 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, compared with Philadelphia's 1,467 per 100,000 residents. New York, which has a population of 8.1 million, and which has seen a slight increase in homicides this year, had 673 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2005.

Camden, with a population of 80,125, has 1,680 violent crimes per 1,000 residents, making it among the most dangerous cities in the country. Among the larger cities, Sherman said, Philadelphia has a high crime rate for various reasons. "We have the poorest population," he said. In addition, he said, the commissioner in Philadelphia does not have the same freedom to CRIME from Bl Lawrence W. Sherman, a criminologist at the University of Pennsylvania's Jerry Lee Center, said that rankings among the city's 10 largest cities make Philadelphia look bad, but that there are far more dangerous cities.

"They're sticking out like a sore thumb because some of the larger cities have become some of the safer cities," Sherman said. If Philadelphia, with a population of 1.47 million, is compared with cities closer to 100,000 in population, not just those with about one million or more, the city is nearer to the middle of the list in violent crime, Sherman said. Detroit, for example, has a population of 900,000 and doesn't make the list of the top 10 largest cities, but would re Raising Metropolitan Area News in Brief Mind your p's and q's in library's Scrabble project Hoping to enhance interest in literacy and bolster after-school programs, two city organizations today are launching a project called Philly Plays Scrabble. The effort is the work of the ASAPAfter School Activities Partnership and the Free Library of Philadelphia. During October, all of the library's 55 branches will designate hours for people young and old to visit and play the word-building board game.

A Scrabble tournament will be held in November, with the championship slated for the Central Library, 1901 Vine St. Organizers say they want to showcase Philadelphia as a literate city and encourage volunteers to organize after-school clubs. Larry Eichel North Philadelphia man found shot to death Police last night were investigating a homicide that happened early yesterday morning in North Philadelphia. Robert Johnson, 20, of North Philadelphia, was found shot in the chest at 1:23 a.m. near 17th and Huntingdon Streets.

He was taken to Temple University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead 25 minutes later. Police reported no arrests. Barbara Boyer Death of woman, 22, still under investigation The cause of death of a 22-year-old woman whose body was found stuffed in a trash bag in a blighted vacant lot in Nicetown is still being investigated by the Medical Examiner's Office, homicide detectives said last night. Police identified the woman as Jamie Thompson, of the 5100 block of Harlan Street, West Philadelphia. Detectives said they had not determined how Thompson died and were careful not to classify the case as a homicide until toxicology tests are completed.

The Medical Examiner's Office said those tests could take several more weeks. On Sept. 8, a passerby notified police of the body when he was overcome by a strong stench coming from the lot in the 1700 block of Blavis Street in Nicetown. Stephanie L. Arnold Charges in alleged dumping of motor oil at Gettysburg GETTYSBURG, Pa.

A man who allegedly dumped 35 to 40 gallons of used motor oil on the grounds of Gettysburg National Military Park was charged Monday with two misdemeanor counts of violating state environmental laws, the state Attorney General's Office said yesterday. The incident occurred May 28 along Confederate Cavalry Road. If convicted, Daniel A. Bowers, 31, of Gettysburg, faces a maximum sentence of a year in prison and a $25,000 fine for each count. AP Controller says is too lax on safety voices, and spirits, in an anthemic project Kendall O'Neill (right) plays with a guitar after singing with dozens of other third graders from Churchville Elementary School in Bucks County.

The group performed 17 songs as part of the National Anthem Project. Among them, of course: "The Star-Spangled Banner." deploy police and make top appointments as do law enforcement officials in other cities, such as New York and Los Angeles. Influence by the mayor and City Council and restrictions in labor contracts limit Philadelphia's commissioner, he said. In the list of safest cities for overall crime among the 10 largest in the nation, New York was at the top the safest. For most violent crime, it is No.

6 on the list of the safest, while San Jose, is No. 1. Philadelphia Deputy Commissioner Richard Ross said it was important to look closely at overall crime and not just violent crime. Philadelphia, he said, aggressively classifies crimes that other cities may not classify as violent. "Overall, crime is down over the past five years," Ross said, Explaining what he saw after the collapse, Herman Price said: "The actual crack where I saw the planks it just broke away; all that fell into the water.

The expansion joint in the Ballroom, that's where it cracked." Gone after the collapse were the three young women who died, the Price brothers said. Herman Price had spent 15 to 20 minutes speaking with White, who told him that her birthday was coming up and that she was celebrating. She was waiting for her boyfriend to pick her up, he said. Lawrence Price was arm's length from Rodriguez when the deck collapsed. A piece of the bar hit her, then "her eyes rolled up and she went down," he said.

Heat DJ Marc Emerick had known Ferraro from her publicity work for the New Jersey State Aquarium. That night, one of the three Commissioner Robert D. Solvibile Sr. disputed many of Butkovitz's conclusions yesterday, saying the audit had "compared apples to oranges." Solvibile's written response, included in the audit, said imminently dangerous buildings were indeed inspected within 24 hours, as required. He also questioned the audit team's understanding of building codes, saying the photographs that accompanied the audit did not depict the illegal public-safety hazards alleged by Butkovitz.

And Solvibile criticized the controller for relying on unverified "hearsay" from unidentified sources in His response, however, did not specify where such sources had provided inaccurate information. Butkovitz said auditors had sound reasons for not listing every city employee they had talked to. "What we refused to do is to give him the IDs of particular people so they could be punished for providing truthful information," he said. Under a new policy, his office will follow up on its audits within three months to see whether changes have been made, Butkovitz said. If problems are not remedied by that time, he said, he will hold public hearings within six months.

INSPECTIONS from Bl estimated that only 20 percent of shelters were inspected when required. often fails to follow up on its citations. Auditors who visited properties where the department had cited violations weeks before found numerous dangerous conditions; 54 percent of recent inspections examined by the auditors had not been followed up. Butkovitz's report laid much of the blame for the department's performance on empty coffers and bug-riddled technology. For instance, it estimated that the unit responsible for enforcing housing codes would need 87 inspectors to do its work on time; it has just 35.

And the handheld computers used in the field touted as a time-saving tool regularly freeze or lose signals, leading inspectors to spend an average of two hours a day on data entry. However, the report also blamed humans. It said much of the information entered into the computer system was wrong or incomplete, leading to still more delays or unfinished work. Different offices in the department were also criticized for not communicating with one another; in one instance, one unit was labeling a West Philadelphia building in danger of imminent collapse while another was giving a grocery store a permit to open on the first floor. Contact staff writer Barbara Boyer at 21 5-854-2641 or bboyerphillynews.com.

This article contains information from the Associated Press. women requested a song, "Maria, Maria," for White's birthday, Emerick said. "I gave a shout-out for a happy birthday," he said. "I still DJ; I have not played that song since." Emerick and Lawrence Price testified that they noticed a strong smell of gasoline, which was unusual. The eight patrons and workers who testified said they had minor injuries, such as bruises and cuts, or felt pain.

Defense lawyers DeSimone and Thomas Bergstrom said Monday that they would show new evidence of fault. "You are going to hear for the first time in six years the seeds of that destruction," DeSimone told the jury. The men who worked for the engineering companies hired to inspect the pier did not warn Asbell or Karetny that it would collapse, he said. The trial continues today in front of Common Pleas Court Judge Sheila Woods-Skipper. Contact staff writer Julie Shaw at 215-854-2917 or jshawphillynews.com.

After the Churchville Elementary Ensemble's show, 8-year-old Brandi Zbarsky poses in a space suit. Thirteen choral groups took part in the Anthem Project next to the Independence Visitor Center. N.Y. cantor avoids prison term for sexual assaults on nephew tell of chaos in Pier 34 collapse A group of third graders from Churchville, Bucks County, was among 13 ensembles taking part during the National Anthem Project Monday and yesterday near the Independence Visitor Center. The National Anthem Project, whose honorary chairwoman is first lady Laura Bush, is an effort to bolster music education, and its traveling gear includes a space suit, musical instruments, and a karaoke setup to allow all comers to try out their pipes on the national anthem.

For more information, go to www.nationalanthemproject. org. Inquirer photographs by Eric Mencher Survivors PIER from Bl Three young women did die: DeAnn White, 25, of German-town, and Monica Rodriguez, 21, and Jean Marie Ferraro, 27, both of Cherry Hill. They were at the oval bar that Green had been tending. Customer Harry Tomaszews-ki, who was also at that bar, said it was as if the three young women had vanished.

When the boards ripped apart, Tomaszewski said, he pulled his girlfriend, Julie Morgan, close to him to protect her. Defendants Michael Asbell, 64, of Merion, and Eli Karetny, 65, of Cherry Hill, are charged with involuntary manslaughter, risking a catastrophe, and related offenses in connection with the deaths and injuries stemming from the collapse. Earlier that night, and days before the pier collapsed on May 18, 2000, witnesses said they noticed cracks on the pier and in the Ballroom building adjacent to Heat. Under questioning by Assistant District Attorneys John Doyle and Jude Conroy, brothers Herman and Lawrence Price, who worked as guards at the club, each testified that they saw a crack running the width of the walkway that led to the club on the pier's south side. The crack had been filled in with white cement shortly before May 18, Herman Price said.

On May 18, he noticed that the crack had grown three to six inches wider big enough for a woman's shoe to fall into it, he testified. That night, before the collapse, two planks of sheet metal were placed over the crack, Herman Price said, "so people could walk without tripping." Green said that The he'd just a song birthday of the "I played song Contact staff writer Michael Currie Schaffer at 215-854-4565 or mcschafferphillynews.com. that prosecutors would likely win conviction at trial. He pleaded to charges of indecent assault, simple assault, terroristic threats, corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of a child. The more serious charge of aggravated indecent sexual intercourse, a felony, was dropped by prosecutors as part of the plea agreement.

Nevison's nephew, now 17, testified that his uncle was "a coward" who robbed him of his childhood trust and happiness. "As a cantor in the Jewish religion, you should know that what you did will not sit well with God," the victim said to his uncle in court. Nevison said that he had "compassion" for his nephew but never apologized in court for committing an assault. Howard Nevison's brother Lawrence and another nephew, Stewart Nevison, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the victim. Lawrence Nevison was sentenced in 2000 to five to 15 years in state prison.

Stewart Nevison was sentenced in 2002 to 1112 to 23 months in prison. Contact staff writer Keith Herbert at 610-313-8007 or keithherbertphillynews.com. By Keith Herbert INQUIRER STAFF WRITER New York City cantor Howard Nevison avoided a prison sentence yesterday for sexually assaulting his young nephew during the 1990s in Lower Merion. Montgomery County Court Judge Paul W. Tressler made certain, however, that Nevison realize how fortunate he was to avoid jail.

To drive home his point, Tressler ordered Nevison to visit a New York prison yesterday so that he understands what lies ahead should he violate probation. Nevison, the popular cantor at the Temple Emanu-El on Manhattan's Upper East Side, will be on probation for the next 12 years. Tressler also ordered that Nevison have no contact with children under 12. Probation was a standard sentence under the state's sentencing guidelines for a person without a prior criminal offense, Tressler said. Nevison, 65, had been "a perfect citizen" before the criminal case and posed little threat to the community, Tressler said.

The cantor had entered an "Al-ford plea" to five misdemeanor charges in June, meaning he admitted no guilt but acknowledged DJ said played for the of one victims. have not that since." when she looked through the crack that night, "I could see rock, mud." That same crack extended into the Ballroom building, running the width of the building to the north side of the pier, the Price brothers said. Defense lawyer Frank DeSi-mone told the court that the crack was actually an expansion joint..