PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The chief of the Philadelphia School District’s police force, Kevin Bethel, made his debut Wednesday as Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker’s choice for police commissioner.
Bethel has a long history with the police department — as an officer, captain and deputy commissioner — and said he understands the fear of crime.
“My mother-in-law’s been in her home for 50 years, but she’s scared to come out of her door. Why can she not sit on her step?” he asked.
In front of city officials, police brass and transition team members at City Hall, Bethel gave a heartfelt acceptance and pledged to make Philadelphia the safest city in the country with a balanced, data-driven approach — prevention and intervention, along with enforcement.
“Data tells us the when, the where, the why, and the how of where we should put our men and women,” he said.
Bethel's full speech
Parker got wide praise for her choice, including from Roosevelt Poplar, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 president.
“I can give her my word in front of all of you that I’m going to do everything in my power to help her fulfill her vision,” Poplar added.
Poplar released this statement from the FOP Lodge 5:
“We welcome Chief Kevin Bethel back to the best police department in America. He is the right choice at the right time for our department and city and has our fullest support.
“We look forward to working shoulder-to-shoulder with incoming Commissioner Bethel to continue our important work of growing our ranks and keeping Philadelphia safe for residents and businesses looking to invest in our great city.
“Make no mistake — the challenges are many in running one of the biggest police departments in our country, but we are confident that Commissioner Bethel is up to the task.”
For her part, Parker said the selection was a months-long process, clinched by Bethel because he was the most knowledgeable about her public safety plan.
Bethel said the challenges facing the city are significant but solvable. He pledged to take on what has been perhaps the city’s toughest challenge: the Kensington drug market.
“I understand the issues of addiction and the need to take a holistic approach, but I will not accept the fact that we allow our kids to be traumatized, that we allow our community to be so devalued,” he said. “The community has told us what they want.”