PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia’s top cop was in the City Council budget hot seat on Tuesday as he was peppered with questions about how the police department is running — and what it needs for the year to come.
As gun violence hits record lows not seen since the 1960s, Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel credited detectives investigating and solving both fatal and non-fatal shootings, pointing to new tools available to them, such as cameras and license plate readers.
Bethel did receive praise for the drop in shooting and homicide victims. “It is about fewer families experiencing loss and neighborhoods beginning to feel relief, and that is about trust starting to return,” he explained.
Council also questioned Bethel on how authorities are tackling nuisance businesses, which he said can attract trouble.
“It is also important for us to put a police officer down there because we want to make sure we want to send the message that this violence is not going to continue,” he said.
However, the commissioner noted the department is still in a staffing deficit, down around 1,300 officers. With well over a million visitors expected this summer for FIFA World Cup events, the MLB All-Star Week and America’s 250th birthday festivities, Bethel said safety is the priority.
“It is going to tax us from a staffing perspective, something we have never dealt with before,” he said.
“[The] July 4 weekend is one of our most challenging, one of our more violent periods, unfortunately, historically — so part of our work too is making sure that we have enough staff to take care of home.”
Fortunately, he told Council, the state police and federal authorities will help keep security tight this summer — and federal grant money will help defray costs.
“We were granted $30 million total — not all to us, the police department — to bring those additional assets in,” he said.
Bethel, who is set to reveal his five-year plan in the coming weeks, said the department’s focus remains on keeping violence down, building community trust, improving technology and training for officers.
