Kevin Bethel will be Philly's new top cop starting in January

Mayor-elect Cherelle L. Parker has already kept one of her promises and that was announcing who her pick would be for the next Philadelphia Police Commissioner.

- Thera Martin

During a press conference at City Hall in the Mayor’s Reception Room on Wednesday, November 22, 2023, Parker made it clear that even before the general election win, she had been thinking hard about who her choice would be. She stated during the press conference, “Mistakenly, some thought that we took the summer off. But nothing could have been further from the truth. Immediately after the May Primary Election, we began collecting recommendations for potential commissioners from a bevy of different stakeholders and people. We actually started having informal meetings after spending a month and a half collecting names. We started in my backyard in July, talking to candidates for commissioner from here in Philadelphia and from across the country. Every candidate (I am proud to say) had one thing in common and that was they had experience here in our great city of Philadelphia. They knew our city, and I think they picked up what I was putting down. They wouldn’t need a GPS to find 52nd Street. 

I talked to a lady by the name of Sharon Broom who is the Mayor of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Shenia Bennet from my team put us in contact, and she gave me some additional advice. She said the police commissioner, while he or she must have all of the credentials in place and experience that is necessary to do the job, I shouldn’t forget that chemistry is also extremely important, and that was chemistry with the Mayor and chemistry with the men and women who make up the Philadelphia Police Department. With all of this in mind, this morning, I am proud to announce Philadelphia’s next Police Commissioner.