After a weekend in which more people were shot in Philadelphia than in any other 48-hour stretch in at least three years, Police Commissioner Richard Ross questioned Monday whether gunmen are increasingly carrying illegal firearms because they believe they can avoid being held accountable even if arrested.
During a news conference at Police Headquarters, Ross, backed by three top deputies, said police have nearly doubled the number of gun arrests this year compared with the same point in 2015.
Ross said he believes the increased arrest totals suggest that “some of these guys think they’ve figured something out relative to consequences or lack thereof.”
He added: “If you feel there [are] no consequences” for illegally carrying guns, “there are many people who will disregard the law because they’re not worried about it. Not because we’re not arresting them; we have to see why these people are carrying them in the fashion that they are.”
The comments by the typically reserved commissioner followed the unusually violent weekend in the city. Still, Ross demurred on offering definitive reasons for the perceived decline in accountability.
Pressed on whether he was suggesting that District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office was being too light on accused gun criminals, Ross declined to say, adding that he did not know how many gun cases might be ending with a figurative slap on the wrist or if any individual office was responsible.
Krasner — sworn in last year on a pledge to curb mass incarceration — has drawn frequent criticism from the police union. Its leader, John McNesby, has accused him of having “great disdain” for law enforcement and siding with accused criminals over victims.
U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain also has been critical of Krasner, saying Philadelphia has “a full-blown public safety crisis” due to Krasner’s policies. McSwain said his office has increased violent-crime prosecutions as a result.
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