Philadelphia police officers George Rodriguez and Anthony Avery were named Officers of the Month for September during a meeting of the 7th Police District Advisory Council on Oct. 20 at Seven Mile Road Church.
Rodriguez and Avery stopped a son from assaulting his father on Sept. 11.
The incident, which occurred at about 2:30 a.m. on the 1100 block of Gregg St., began when the father heard a knock at his front door and was confronted by a group of males who said they wanted to fight the man’s son. The son allegedly grabbed a 13-inch knife and charged at the group, but his father grabbed the son and disarmed him.
The son allegedly began to punch and kick the father in the face and threatened to kill him. When Rodriguez and Avery arrived, they tried to detain the son, but he allegedly resisted, so the officers used force to subdue him.
The son was charged with aggravated assault, terroristic threats, reckless endangerment, possessing an instrument of crime and simple assault.
Representatives from the offices of state Sen. Mike Stack, state Reps. Dennis O’Brien and John Sabatina, and City Council members Brian O’Neill, Maria Quinones-Sanchez and Bill Green each presented the officers with legislative citations. TD Bank sponsored plaque presentations.
• Also at the 7th PDAC meeting, Hugh Organ, associate executive director of the Covenant House Pennsylvania, distributed information about free services available to victims of human-trafficking.
According to Organ, human-trafficking for purposes of undocumented labor and the sex trade is more prevalent than some may think. It often involves victims from foreign countries, but it also can involve vulnerable people — particularly children — from Philadelphia.
Victims often are forced into prostitution through strip clubs and massage parlors, or on the street. Others are forced to work as domestics. In one recent case, victims were made to work in a commercial cleaning business. In all cases, victims are paid little or nothing and are forced to comply under threat of violence or other consequences.
To report possible human-trafficking, call the Covenant House toll free at 800–999–9999 or the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 888–373–7888. ••
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215–354–3031 or wkenny@bsmphilly.com
