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Honoring and recognizing civilian oversight of policing in Philadelphia, established originally in 1958, emphasizing that mutual respect and cooperation are essential for improving public safety and police-community relations and further proclaiming June 9th as “Civilian Police Oversight Day” in the City of Philadelphia.
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WHEREAS, Mayor J. Richardson Dilworth established Philadelphia’s first Police Review Board by Executive Order in October 1958. The Police Review Board was an oversight board that accepted and assessed complaints against police and recommended discipline for officer misconduct to the Philadelphia Police Department. The Philadelphia Police Review Board of 1958 did not have subpoena power and could not conduct independent investigations; and
WHEREAS, In 1967, a local court held that Mayor Dilworth's creation of the Philadelphia Police Review Board of 1958 was illegal. The local ruling was appealed years later, and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court reversed the local ruling, confirming that the City of Philadelphia was legally permitted to create a local police oversight board; and
WHEREAS, Despite a Supreme Court ruling that independent oversight of police misconduct was legal, Mayor James H.J. Tate dissolved the Philadelphia oversight board by executive order in December 1969. As a result, then Philadelphia police commissioner Frank Rizzo decided to only allow complaints against police to be handled internally within the Department. Without an independent review board, complaints against police were filed mostly through the Philadelphia Police Department's Internal Affairs Division; and
WHEREAS, After many years of increasing allegations of police misconduct and issues of police-community relations, more than 30 local community groups formed a coalition to end police abuse of community members in Philadelphia in 1992. The coalition proposed a permanent police advisory board to investigate complaints against police and to review police policies and practices; and
WHEREAS, In 1994, Mayor Ed Rendell established the Police Advisory Commission (PAC) by Executive Order in response to advocacy to end police misconduct. The PAC was created to improve police-community relations and to investigate individual civilian complaints against police. More than 20 years later, Mayor Kenney signed Executive Order No. 5-17 in August 2017 to refocus the City and the PAC’s dedication to police oversight.; and
WHEREAS, In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic instability led to citywide hiring freezes and budget cuts in Philadelphia, severely reducing the PAC’s budget resources and staff; and
WHEREAS, On May 25, 2020, 46-year- old Black man George Floyd was killed by white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, sparking nationwide protests and calls for police reform. In Philadelphia, the police department deployed tear gas against protestors on I-676 and neighborhoods in West Philadelphia near 52nd and Market in June of 2020, leading to the City of Philadelphia paying a $9.25M settlement to more than 300 activists and residents impacted by excessive force, reckless behavior, and discriminatory policing in 2023; and
WHEREAS, On October 26, 2020, 27-year-old Black man Walter Wallace Jr. was fatally shot by Philadelphia police officers while in the midst of a mental health crisis. The shooting occurred when police responded to a report of a man armed with a knife. Video footage shows Wallace walking toward the officers and his mother can be heard screaming “don’t shoot” in the background. Philadelphia police officers Sean Matarazzo and Thomas Munz fired multiple fatal shots at Wallace Jr. The incident sparked further protests and unrest in Philadelphia and led to the City of Philadelphia paying a $2.5M settlement to the Wallace family; and
WHEREAS, These incidents reiterated the urgent need for police reform. In November 2020, over 500,000 residents of Philadelphia voted YES on a ballot measure to amend the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter to create the new Citizens Police Oversight Commission. In the Spring of 2021, Philadelphia City Council introduced enabling legislation laying out the oversight powers and responsibilities of the new Commission. Mayor James Kenney officially established the Citizens Police Oversight Commission on June 9, 2021; and
RESOLVED, BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby recognizes and honors the contributions of police oversight in Philadelphia and further proclaims June 9th as “Civilian Police Oversight Day” in the City of Philadelphia.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to the Citizens Police Oversight Commission as evidence of the sincere respect and admiration of this legislative body.
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