Ramsey gets part-time gig at Drexel
Former Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey to join Drexel University.
Former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey will guest lecture at Drexel University and serve as advisor to its criminology and justice department, beginning Jan. 25, the university announced Thursday.
Ramsey, who retired this month after eight years as the city's crime chief, received a two-year appointment as a distinguished visiting fellow of the Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation, which focuses on urban revitalization. He also will work with the Department of Criminology and Justice Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences.
The post is part-time. Earlier this month, Wilmington hired Ramsey as a public safety consultant, a seven-month gig paying up to $16,000 a month.
"Commissioner Ramsey has been a transformative force in the Philadelphia Police Department, and will help shape the Lindy Institute's work around issues such as 21st century policing," Drexel President John A. Fry said in announcing the appointment. "The Department of Criminology and Justice Studies will also benefit from his deep expertise and the opportunities for learning and exchange that he will bring to the Drexel community."
Ramsey said in a statement that he looks forward to working at the West Philadelphia-based university.
Among his duties, Ramsey will help develop a new master's program in urban strategy and serve as an advisor to the criminology and justice studies department. He will provide guest lectures, offer input on symposiums and other public events and help students find co-operative education and research opportunities, the university said.
He also will help the university in its neighborhood efforts, particularly in programs for youth.
Ramsey's tenure as police commissioner was marked by a dramatic decline in crime, and he has become a national voice on community policing. Hie began his career with the Chicago Police Department at 18 and rose to deputy superintendent. He was police chief in Washington from 1998 to 2006 and had been retired when former Mayor Nutter recruited him to lead Philadelphia police.
