The Drexel Beat

Michael Sinclair is the first Director of Police Operations at Drexel

A veteran Philadelphia Police commander and former Nazareth Borough   Police Chief has been hired as the first ever Director of Police Operations at Drexel University, according to a Sept 4 press release.

The new director, Michael Sinclair, will help to build Drexel’s campus police  department and oversee its daily operations said Domenic Ceccanecchio, senior associate vice president for Public Safety.

Although Sinclair’s most recent post was outside the City, he spent 29 years in the Philadelphia Police leading units ranging from Special Victims to Narcotics.  Sinclair was commander of the 18th District which includes parts of Drexel and the 22nd District which includes Temple University.

Sinclair also commanded the Southwest Detective Division which handles investigations for areas including Drexel and the University of Pennsylvania.

“We were looking for someone who had command level experience, particularly within an urban setting,” said a statement from James Tucker, senior vice president for Student Life and Administrative Services.

Sinclair examines a crime scene alongside UPenn VP for Public Safety Maureen Rush

In a statement Sinclair said he would be focusing on hiring police officers and ensuring that high training standards are maintained.

Drexel has announced plans to have a 28 to 30 member sworn police department over the next two years.  The campus police department was recently authorized by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, according to the press release.

The Sept 18 issue of The Triangle will have more info about Sinclair and the campus police.

Top photo source: Drexel Student Life and Administrative Services
Bottom photo source: Daily Pennsylvanian

Drexel student Claudio Innocenti, 20, was arrested Sept. 2 at the Deptford Mall in South Jersey for allegedly selling fake New Jersey driver’s licenses, The Inquirer reported.

A fake license with Innocenti’s name and picture were found in his possession when arrested, according to The Inquirer.

“We’re serious about fighting underage drinking and protecting the integrity of the New Jersey’s digital driver’s license system,” state Attorney General Anne Milgram told The Inquirer. “We charge this defendant was counterfeiting driver’s licenses and assisting underage people to drink, putting them and the public at risk.”

State detectives have seized seven fake ID’s that are allegedly made by Innocenti, The Inquirer reported.

He was held in the Gloucester County Jail and released Sept. 3 on a $75,000 bail, according to The Inquirer.

TheTriangle.org will have more information.

The selection of Gov. Sarah Palin as Republican John McCain’s running mate has had the Republican Party defending the relatively unknown governor of Alaska. Last night Palin spoke at the GOP Convention in St. Paul (video below) and used the opportunity to defend herself and assail her critics.

Overall the speech seemed to be well received; however, an Associated Press fact-check of Palin’s speech found that, “In some cases, the reproach and the praise stretched the truth.”

The McCain campaign released an ad touting Palin’s credentials and attacking Obama (video below), but multiple fact-checkers are reporting the ad is “misleading” and “barely true”.

The New York Times also weighed in on the ad saying: “In addition, the McCain ad repeats one of its oft-used complaints about Mr. Obama’s support for an energy bill that provided tax breaks to oil companies. The problem is, the claim has been fairly debunked by fact-checkers across the board.”

Obama is expected to travel to Lancaster Thursday to begin a two-day tour of the state. Joe Biden, Democratic vice presidential candidate, will be appearing in Langhorn, Pa. on Friday with his wife, Jill. Republican John McCain is expected to visit Pa. Tuesday Sept. 9.

Both candidates are still fighting hard for Pa.’s 21 electoral votes. The latest Gallup poll shows Barack Obama with a six point lead over John McCain 49 to 43 percent.

Following the first major speeches of the Republican National Convention on Tuesday night, Democrat Barack Obama responded Wednesday in New Philadelphia, Ohio (video below).

Sen. John McCain will be in Philadelphia until noon today making a local stop, according to a campaign spokesman. He could not say where McCain would be stopping.

The Daily News blog clout reported the stop will probably be in Northeast Philadelphia.

McCain arrived yesterday at 12:25 p.m., but his schedule was not public. However, he did meet with Cardinal Justin Rigali for about 25 minutes around 4 p.m., The Daily News blog clout reported.

Later he had dinner at Devon Seafood Grill and spent the night at the Westin Philadelphia hotel, according to The Daily News blog clout.

Photo Source: WHYY It’s Our City

17-year-old Bristol Palin (right) is 5-months pregnant.

The 17-year-old daughter of McCain running mate Sarah Palin, is 5 months pregnant, according to news reports.

Palin’s daughter, Bristol, will keep the baby and marry the father, CNN and The New York Times reported.

Sen. John McCain’s campaign announced that McCain knew about the pregnancy before he chose her as his running mate.

The aide said it was decided the campaign would reveal this information now because of rampant Internet rumors that Sarah Palin’s 4-month-old baby, who has Down syndrome, was actually Bristol’s, CNN reported.

VP candidate Sarah Palin

According to NYTimes.com, the Palin family made a statement saying “Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family. We ask the media, respect our daughter and Levi’s privacy as has always been the tradition of children of candidates.”

Photo Source: Daily Mirror

Five people were murdered over the Labor Day weekend in Philadelphia, local media reported.

A 20-year-old man with multiple gun shot wounds was found near Bridge and Glenloch Streets after 1:30 a.m.  The victim was pronounced dead at Temple University Hospital, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Dante Benjamin, 23, of 600 Anchor St. was shot multiple times in the 2100 block of Simpson Street in West Philadelphia.  No other information was available, according to The Inquirer.

Thomas Cherry, 41, of the 1000 block of Allengrove Street was shot once in the back on Saturday in the 600 block of South 62d Street in West Philadelphia.

Two other killings were reported in Strawberry Mansion and Huntington Park.  No other information was available at the time of this post and no arrests have been made.

A law banning cigarette, cigar and pipe smoking in restaurants, office buildings, schools, sports arenas, theaters and bus and train stations will take effect in less than two weeks, according to an AP report.

There are exceptions to the rule including lounges and special parts of casinos.  “It’s a very complex law,” Judy Ochs, director of the PA Health Department’s Division of Tobacco Prevention and Control told the AP.

Health officials and business owners have said the law is confusing because of the exceptions.

Officials at Harrisburg Airport said they will continue to allow smoking in special lounges however Ochs said the airport is a public place and not covered by the exceptions, according to an AP report.

The smoking ban starts Sept 11 2008 according to a Philadelphia Inquirer editorial.

The state smoking ban will likely have little impact on Philadelphia because a similar anti-smoking law has been in place for over a year.

The Inquirer editorial said the state ban will “put Pennsylvania in the mainstream on safeguarding public health,”

Rep. Jeff Pyle called the smoking ban “intrusive” in June 2008

John McCain announced Friday that he had chosen Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate (video below). Palin has served Alaska’s governor for two years, and is the Republican Party’s first female candidate for vice president.

The New York Times is reporting that, “[John McCain's] campaign has been trying to attract women, especially disaffected supporters of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.”

In choosing Palin, McCain surprised many, with the discussion for weeks surrounding former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney and former Pa. Gov. Tom Ridge.

Longtime Democratic political consultant Larry Ceisler said picking Palin, “does not help [John McCain] one bit in Pennsylvania.” However pollster G. Terry Madonna said that Palin could help McCain court women in Philadelphia suburbs.

McCain announcement comes on his 72nd birthday, and a day after Barack Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention. McCain is attempting to take back the news coverage that has been dominated by the Democrats, and given Obama a convention bump. Gallup is reporting that Obama is now leading McCain nationally by eight points - 49 to 41 percent.

Photo Media Credit: Akira Suwa - Philadelphia Inquirer/MCT

Democrat Barack Obama’s supporters are hosting a watch party in Philadelphia at Independence Hall. A press release from the campaign said, “supporters will gather to watch Sen. Barack Obama accept the Democratic Party’s nomination for president at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.”

Pennsylvania will be seeing a lot more of the candidates this election year. Pennsylvania is considered a key “battleground state” and Obama’s running mate Joe Biden recently said, “We cannot win without Pennsylvania.” The latest poll from CNN/Time/Opinion Research Corporation released Aug. 27 shows Obama with a five point lead over McCain at 48 to 43 percent.

Obama will tour Western Pa. after the Democratic National Convention is over, and McCain is expected to tour here as well after his VP announcement Friday.

Photo Media Credit: Brian Baer - Sacramento Bee/MCT