Murders are up, but Philly PD’s website states they are down --- because they’re comparing this year’s killings to those from 2007!

If the CEO of a Wall Street firm announced that revenues were up 22 percent, he would be lauded for his leadership and undoubtedly receive a hefty raise.

By contrast, if it was revealed that the CEO was playing games with the books and basing his figures not on a year-to-date comparison from the prior year, but from four years ago, he would probably be shown the door.

But that’s precisely the situation with Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, the city’s highest-paid employee.  The argument can be made that Commissioner Ramsey is deliberately misleading the public on the city’s murder rate.

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A visit to the Philadelphia Police website Crime Stats page (http://phillypolice.com/about/crime-statistics) verifies what we already know: shootings, violence and murder are out of control throughout the city.  As of this writing, there have been 259 murders since January 1, as one can plainly see from the highlighted 2011 figure on the webpage.  Beside that is a number with a down arrow.  Currently, it’s 18 percent, but last week it stood at 22.  It purports to represent the percentage that murders have decreased.

And therein lies the problem. A big one.

Murders aren’t down 18 or 22 percent.  As a matter of fact, they’re up. Comparing year-to-date statistics, they’ve increased ten from last year, a whopping 24 from 2009 (a ten percent jump), and eight from 2008.  
But Chief Ramsey has decided to hide these numbers and instead compare today’s murder rate with that of 2007, the high-water mark for killings.  That’s like the Phillies claiming a playoff victory because they beat the Cardinals half a decade ago.

It’s interesting to note that Ramsey was hired at the end of 2007, which perhaps explains why he is using that blood-soaked year as his benchmark--- all the easier to pass the buck and make himself look better.

Maybe the Chief, and Mayor Nutter, who hired him and remains his boss, missed their callings. They seem better suited for Wall Street firms that rely on misleading investors (in this case, the citizens) for their own personal gain (re-election, job security and bloated pensions). 

So residents get the screws two ways: they walk away with a false sense of security, mistakenly believing that murders are down.  And when they realize the truth --- that their leaders are deliberately misleading them --- they feel betrayed.

Unlike the Wall Street CEO, Nutter and Ramsey get away scott-free.  And like some robber baron execs, they each make a pile of money, courtesy of a duped public, with little accountability and oversight.

In fact, Chief Ramsey is rolling in it, to the tune of $255,000/year.

You may recall that earlier this year, the Commissioner was actively courted for the top police job in his hometown of Chicago.  Despite pleas that he stay, it was almost a done deal, but for one small sticking point: his $400,000 per year total compensation asking price, according to press reports.  You know it’s greedy when even a liberal Democrat like Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel balks at such an obscene amount, which, by the way, is the salary of the President of the United States.

Ramsey’s reason for ultimately staying in Philadelphia? “…the support I got here at home from the business community — and the media, even — and, of course, Mayor Nutter, made the difference.”

Well, that, and the $60,000 pay raise he was promised from the Mayor as a reward for not leaving the city, courtesy of the taxpayers.  That increase makes the Commissioner the highest --- repeat, highest --- paid city employee.  Even more than the Mayor himself.

Ramsey was right about one thing. He did get quite a bit of support, from city councilmen (“we won the big prize” by retaining Ramsey) to the gushing, sycophant media.  Notably, neither entity bothered asking the right questions before, or after, the lavish pay hike was doled out to the Chief.

Questions such as:

1) How can the city afford to shell out a $60,000/year salary increase to anyone when it can’t even pay its current bills, has an insolvent pension, and continues to see its tax base --- what’s left of it --- flee? In fact, it was just reported that there is yet another tax revenue shortfall, adding to the budget deficit.  What a surprise.

And for the record, there are plenty of qualified people who would have gladly accepted the Commissioner’s previous salary of $195,000 had he chosen to leave. 

2) When will Philadelphia realize that paying exorbitant salaries to government officials is not just financially foolhardy, but doesn’t guarantee results?  Just look at Arlene Ackerman, the now former School Superintendent who made $325,000/year (with incentives allowing for a half-million dollar payday) to preside over an ever-worsening school district.  For the privilege of leaving her post, she banked $905,000, all footed by the public. 

And don’t forget scandal-plagued former Housing Authority chief Carl Greene, who, with his bonus, was making $350,000.  In addition, residents are still paying sky-high legal bills related to the mess he left behind.

3) Was any quantitative, or better yet, common sense analysis done to see if Ramsey merited such a large salary bump?  Murders are increasing, out-of-control flash mobs have led to curfews, police corruption is rampant, and there is growing fear on the streets, leading many suburbanites to stay away. 

According to the Chief’s 2008 “Crime Fighting Strategy,” the big goal that year was to “reduce homicides by twenty-five percent,” yet the Department was way short, overseeing only a 15 percent drop from 2007 to 2008.  And what of the stated overall plan of reducing homicides by 30 to 50 percent, as outlined in a public letter from Ramsey to Nutter? Not even in the ballpark. As noted above, homicides have been rising, not falling.

While certainly not all these things can be attributable to the Chief, the buck stops with him.  He is responsible.  Just like a CEO often receives no bonus when numbers are down, the Chief of Police should have pay raises tied to performance.  But since the Mayor deals in Other People’s Money, that isn’t the case.

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Is the city is safer? You can play with statistics to bolster any desired conclusion.  Yet ask those in Philadelphia whether they truly feel secure, and most would simply laugh. And that’s the only statistic that matters.

Is the Chief doing a good job? In some respects, yes.  But so stellar that he commands a raise three times more than the city’s per capita income?  Not even close.  The fact that the city can’t afford the money is just salt in the wound.

OK, fine. Ramsey got his money.  It is what it is, and he isn’t relinquishing it.  But that bolsters the point all the more.

The leader of the Police Department should epitomize transparency and honesty.

Instead, in what can only be assumed to be a deliberate attempt to deceive Philadelphians, games are being played with the city’s increasing murder rate.  And there is no excuse for that. None.

The culture of any organization is established by the conduct of its top leaders. In the Philadelphia Police Department’s case, its culture of honor, values and integrity has taken a hit.  And when the rank and file --- the guys on the street chasing down the murderers --- see their top brass skirting the truth for political gain, perhaps they too cut a corner where they shouldn’t be.  They take on the persona of their leadership.

It’s time for the Mayor and Chief to do the right thing by telling the truth, no matter how difficult that may be. Let’s see more honesty in the most trusted institution in Philadelphia --- its police department.

Only when the city’s leaders regain the trust of the people will Philadelphia begin its journey back to respectability.

An accredited member of the media, Chris Freind is an independent columnist, television/radio commentator, and investigative reporter who operates his own news bureau, www.FreindlyFireZone.com  His self-syndicated model has earned him the largest cumulative media voice in Pennsylvania.

Freind's column, "Freindly Fire," appears nationally in Newsmax and regionally in
Philadelphia Magazine's Philly Post.  It is also published regularly in a number
of the state's largest newspapers, including The Delaware County Daily Times, Chester
County Daily Local, Norristown Times Herald, Pottstown Mercury and Bucks County Courier
Post. Readers of his column, “Freindly Fire,” hail from six continents, thirty countries
and all fifty states.

His work has been referenced in numerous other publications including The Wall Street
Journal, National Review Online, foreign newspapers, and in Dick Morris' bestseller
"Catastrophe."

In a recent speech, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter urged college students to stay in the city after graduation, stating, “we have a more knowledge-based workforce here."

Too bad we don’t have a “knowledge-based government.”

Nutter boosted Philadelphia by saying the budget was balanced, praising the federal stimulus bill for keeping the city solvent.

"We would be in a depression (without it). There's no question about that,” he said.

Wrong verb, Mr. Mayor.

Since Philadelphia is already insolvent, there are only two explanations for Nutter’s incoherence:

1)      He has no idea how dire his city’s situation has become, or

2)      He absolutely knows, but will use smoke-and-mirror tactics to get re-elected next year, passing the buck to his successor four years down the line.

Here’s betting on the latter.

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Nutter’s 2007 election was met with great fanfare from business leaders, city residents and even suburban folks. They naively believed Nutter would usher in a new era by cutting taxes, slashing bureaucracy and playing hardball with out-of-control union leaders.

Uh…hello?  

This was Michael Nutter we were talking about, after all.  As a City Councilman, he voted for bill after bill which sunk the city further into the abyss, increasing the mass exodus of companies and people --- and their revenue --- from the City of Brotherly Love.  

As a result, the city achieved the distinction of having the highest murder, violence and poverty rates, while leading the way in school drop-outs.

As Mayor, Nutter’s track record hasn’t been more of the same. 

It’s worse.

Crime is rampant (such as flash mobs wreaking havoc in Center City), the unions are getting contracts the city can’t afford, public schools are deathtraps where survival is the ONLY order of the day, the government workforce has swelled, and the city pension is bankrupt.

Yes, bankrupt.

And we’re supposed to expect college grads to actually stay here? 

Nutter’s own twisted logic tells us everything we need to know --- the stimulus staved off a depression.

And now that it’s gone, what’s the plan?  He’s on his own, the bailouts are over, and the rent is due. 

But if he can hold off a challenger next year, life is good.

Until the Molotov cocktails start flying.

*****

Whenever a government official admits something isn’t good, the reality is always worse.

In Philadelphia’s case, the Mayor has conceded that the city pension is somewhat underfunded.

Translation: it is insolvent.  Officials state that the pension is 45 percent funded, meaning that for every dollar owed, the fund has 45 cents in its coffers.

That level is considered catastrophically low, and anyone with one eye open knows accounting gimmicks can easily inflate that number.  In reality, it’s most certainly lower. 

According to last week’s Financial Times, of all American cities, Philadelphia has the most immediate cause for concern because “…current pension assets for plans sponsored by Philadelphia can only pay for promised benefits through 2015…”

So in a few short years, with not enough money coming in to pay those owed pensions, the city will be forced to send out letters that could read something like this:

“Dear Retired Police Officer,

Sorry, we didn’t exactly manage your pension very well.  Actually, we bankrupted it by paying for our pet projects and not funding it when we should have.  But hey, stuff happens!  Here’s 40 percent of what you’re owed.  We hear Wal-Mart may be hiring greeters, so good luck to you, and thanks for your service….”

Think it can’t happen?

It did in Greece, and riots shook that country for months on end, bringing the government to the edge of collapse.  Only when the European Union and International Monetary Fund stepped in did Greece somewhat stabilize, although it is still in an extremely tenuous position.

But there’s no bailout in Philadelphia’s future.

What Nutter and the political insiders don’t yet comprehend is that the rules of the traditional game are over --- period. In years past, Philly always looked to the state and the feds for bailouts, and usually got them.  

But this recession is different, and things will get considerably worse before they get better.  That means Business As Usual handouts won’t be coming.

Pennsylvania, facing a deficit of over $5 billion, is out of the bailout business.  And forget the U.S. government, with its $14 trillion debt; under soon-to-be Republican control, it too will be taking a pass.

Hence the riots that inevitably will sweep through the city. 

While our men in Blue are honorable, don’t count on them aggressively stopping their retired brothers who received the short end of the stick, especially since current city workers ---including police --- will have virtually NO retirement benefits coming their way. 

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Nutter’s answer to reverse this crisis?   Raise revenue by hiking the city portion of the state sales tax 100 percent and defer pension payments for two years.  In Year Three --- conveniently after he is reelected --- the Mayor will write a check for $800 million to bail out the pension.  Or so his plan goes.

The only problem is that there’s not a snowball’s chance of that happening.  None.

To recap: there will be no bailout, and the pension will implode, leading to massive unrest. 

Short of the city officially declaring bankruptcy --- which is much easier said than done, and would lead to a host of other problems --- Philadelphia will further descend into chaos, being rightfully viewed as a Third-World city.

And to think all of it could have been avoided.

Mayor Nutter and City Council, like so many politicians, incorrectly believe that government and “government money” creates jobs and wealth, when in reality, the exact opposite is true. 

Government creates nothing, nor should it.  Rather, it’s free people in a competitive environment who are the engine of a thriving democratic society.   Government should be there to serve the people, not the other way around.  Nowhere is that more apparent than in once-great cities like Philadelphia, where the economic lights are on their last flicker.

The beauty of math is that it doesn’t lie.  Two plus two will always equal four --- whether one chooses to admit that or not.  Likewise, out-of-touch politicians like Michael Nutter can pretend that all is rosy in Philadelphia, promising an empty bill of goods to our children. But just because he chooses not to acknowledge the real problems doesn’t mean they’re not there.

Amazingly, many residents, especially those expecting their pensions, still haven’t caught on to his Philly Two-Step. They too, are equally at fault for not demanding more accountability of their leaders, preferring to live in a Fantasyland belief that, at the end of the day, their pension ---their lifeblood --- will be there, intact.

How wrong they are.

And no amount of rioting is going to change that fact.

Here’s an idea.  Wake up, and send Mayor Nutter a message next year that the pillaging of his citizens is coming to an end.  Send him packing and elect a bold leader willing to right the ship, regardless of political fallout.

Anything else is just bad math.

Chris Freind is an independent columnist, television commentator, and investigative reporter who operates his own news bureau, www.FreindlyFireZone.com

Readers of his column, “Freindly Fire,” hail from six continents, thirty countries and all fifty states. His work has been referenced in numerous publications including The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online, foreign newspapers, and in Dick Morris' recent bestseller "Catastrophe."

Freind, whose column appears nationally in Newsmax, also serves as a guest commentator on Philadelphia-area talk radio shows, and makes numerous other television and radio appearances, most notably on FOX.  He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it