Philadelphia’s next police commissioner must balance public safety and accountability | Editorial

Kevin Bethel, a 30-year veteran of the Police Department and currently the School District’s chief safety officer, will be Philadelphia’s next police commissioner. He will take over a job that demands law enforcement experience, political know-how, and effective leadership skills — all while accounting for the safety of 1.6 million residents and millions more visitors each year.

Whether he is up to the task remains to be seen, but so far, Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker’s choice has been met with wide-ranging praise.

“He’s a good bridge between community and law enforcement,” said Keir Bradford-Grey, formerly the head of the city’s association of public defenders. New police union president Roosevelt Poplar struck an optimistic tone, saying that he looked forward to working together. Meanwhile, District Attorney Larry Krasner lauded Bethel’s strong credentials and stressed that the future of Philadelphia’s communities depends, in part, on the next police administration.

Charles H. Ramsey, himself regarded as one of the most effective police commissioners in the city’s history, worked with Bethel and described the incoming chief as “a right arm to me.” Ramsey called his choice to elevate Bethel from captain to deputy commissioner shortly after meeting him in 2008 as “one of the best — if not the best — decisions” he made during his eight-year tenure as Philadelphia’s top cop, which ended in 2016.

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Bethel will need all of that goodwill and more come January, when he is set to formally take on the challenging work of combating crime and overhauling a department — which includes 5,483 officers and 828 civilian employees — where progress and accountability often seem fleeting.

His predecessor, Danielle Outlaw, took over in the wake of scandals over allegations of racism, sexism, and sexual harassment at the department, but stumbled in her response to the protests after the 2020 murder of George Floyd and a surge in gun violence. The August killing of Eddie Irizarry, who was inside his car when shot by police, had Outlaw backtracking on initial claims that the 27-year-old Kensington man had lunged at officers with a knife. Outlaw resigned in September.

Although Bethel will take over at a time when the city’s homicide rate is declining from record highs set during the pandemic, Philadelphia remains mired in a public safety crisis. Beyond the obvious toll of hundreds of homicides and thousands of shootings per year, more than 100 people die every year on city streets amid a surge in reckless driving — a rate more than twice that of other East Coast cities.

Retail theft, led by what business owners and anti-theft experts say are organized groups of resellers, is also crushing small businesses and commercial corridors across the city. And the open-air drug market in Kensington continues to be an international embarrassment, a disaster for those struggling with addiction, and an inexcusable imposition on nearby residents.

It will be Bethel’s job to help reduce the pain caused by these civic scourges.

It is an encouraging sign, then, that Bethel, like Ramsey, seems to understand that accountability and public safety are intertwined. In an extended 2020 interview with Jerry Ratcliffe, a Temple University crime researcher and former police officer in the United Kingdom, Bethel spoke frankly about his work with Ramsey and with the School District.

Bethel cited data and analysis as central to his decision-making process, calling it “the fuel that runs the car.” Data allow leadership to identify trends they might not otherwise notice, allocate resources efficiently and effectively, and ensure subordinates are acting on instructions, he said.

At the School District, Bethel also sought to operate with empathy and understanding. He explained that when police are added to schools, it shouldn’t be a surprise that arrests rise afterward, as that is what police are trained to do.

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Instead of operating as traditional law enforcement, Bethel trained his district workforce to operate as resource officers. He also removed many acts from the list of arrestable offenses in a bid to curb the “mark of shame” that a first arrest can cause for young boys, something that can lead teachers, parents, and other adults to invest less time and energy in their upbringing, permanently affecting their future.

It is unclear how Bethel will seek to fulfill Parker’s promise of a safer Philadelphia or implement her proposal to revive the controversial tactic of stop-and-frisk, which disproportionately targets young men of color.

But Bethel struck a balanced tone last week, during the announcement that he had been tapped as commissioner, emphasizing the importance of enforcing the law while remembering that police are public servants.

“Our charge and our responsibility come from the community,” he said. “Our power comes from the community.”

Bethel will have to lean on this thoughtfulness and his dedication to data and research to deliver a safer city and an accountable Police Department. Philadelphians will be watching.