One of only two female sergeants in the Philadelphia Police Department’s Homicide Unit, Irma Labrice is a dedicated investigator who loves her job. “On the job” for 23 years, she’s worked in uniformed street division, bike unit, special victims unit, and homicide. As the supervisor, she serves as the self-described “hub” of her homicide squad. She explains, “You’re getting all the information from all your team, every one of your team members that are out there [on the streets], and you’re putting the pieces together.”

Whether it’s at work or at home Labrice puts 100 percent into anything that she does. At home Irma enjoys working around her house and spending time with her five childrenthree of them are in college and two are in grade school.

Detective Bill Kelhower has been with the Philadelphia Police Department for 15 years and with the homicide unit for a year and a half. He is a fourth-generation Philadelphia cop. “My father was a homicide detective. My grandfather was a sergeant and my great-grandfather was a detective, all with the Philadelphia police.”

Kelhower is married and has a son. “I still live in the same neighborhood where I grew up. It’s about two blocks from my parents’ home. It’s tough seeing what we see and also living in the city.” For Kelhower, working as a homicide detective in the city where he grew up has many advantages: “I know the city. You know people. You look at someone and you can pretty much tell where they’re from and what they’re doing.”

Detective Leon Lubiejewski, known by all as “Luby,” has worked for the Philadelphia Police Department for the past 33 years, 25 of them as a homicide detective. A native of Philadelphia, Luby knows the streets well. “I was born in a middle-class neighborhood. It was a nice neighborhood everybody knew everybody.” But over the years Luby has seen some decline in the City of Brotherly Love. “The streets have changed. Today there is a lot more gunfire on the streets of Philadelphia.”

Detective Ken Rossiter is a second-generation Philly cop. “My father was a police officer, I have two brothers that are police officers [and] I have brothers that are detectives in the same unit.” Rossiter’s interest in becoming a police officer not only came from his family, but also from his experience growing up in Philadelphia. “I grew up in an area of the city where I saw crime. I, myself, was a victim of crimes a couple of times. I know what it’s like to be a victim I knew I could make a difference and that’s why I joined.”

Since joining the force when he was 20, Rossiter worked as a uniformed officer, a highway patrol officer on the motorcycle drill team providing presidential escorts with the secret service, and then as a homicide detective.