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Philadelphia Sheriff Draws Spotlight for Refusing to Act on Foreclosures

By David Badertscher, PLL

Source: Crime & Justice News

"Sheriff John Green has spent 37 years in law

enforcement. But these days he's best known around

Philadelphia for the law he won't enforce, reports the

Wall Street Journal. With the economy soft and

thousands of Philadelphians delinquent on their

mortgages, Sheriff Green this spring refused to hold a

court-ordered foreclosure auction. His move raised

eyebrows on the bench and dropped jaws among

lenders and their attorneys, who accuse him of

shirking his duty to enforce legal contracts. It also

prompted a sweeping, court-endorsed deal that aims

to help homeowners avoid foreclosure.

Even as Congress moves forward with a federal plan

that could insure up to $300 billion in refinanced

mortgages, Green's unilateral approach has pushed

Philadelphia to the leading edge of local responses to

the national crisis. His 241-person sheriff's

department is the armed wing of Philadelphia County

courts, charged with transporting prisoners, securing

courtrooms and auctioning off foreclosed properties at

sheriff sales. In a city beset by poverty and crime,

Green has emerged as an unlikely blend of lawman,

politician, spiritual leader and social worker.

A dozen or more desperate homeowners appear in

the sheriff's lobby each day, seeking solace and

counsel."

Wall Street Journal - http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001io00UHMfaEUTpdPYSgRBg0kbR3wws4v29Ts5SHzNdb-RIW7JkmUkDEA7ADv2ZInXKul6LwL-cEXmSBrGlJUr3xogGMVO01OJkdCN5KrlFNsnjXbMdee3E-6xBi7Z9tGjn9ZCoaaLyE3rHOxsO6s0eOyyqp27WbivxVh8pID_pGvSA5qKvOt1OOKFc54tRh57g1SqT4xxaap_cLTlDBrbZh9x6fQ0FobhJdk6Q9bza89dokFTAwz-mA==

Full post as published by New York Supreme Court Criminal Term Library on June 06, 2008 (boomark / email).