Title
Urging the Mayor to appoint Sylvester M. Johnson as permanent Commissioner of the Police Department of Philadelphia.
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WHEREAS, Philadelphia's internationally renowned Police Commissioner, John F. Timoney, recently resigned on December 5th after nearly four years, and his second-in-command for that period, Deputy Commissioner Sylvester M. Johnson, was recently appointed and sworn in by the Mayor to the unprecedented position of "Interim Police Commissioner"; and
WHEREAS, The Mayor has since stated that he is conducting "both an internal and national search" to fill the post of full-fledged permanent commissioner to officially succeed Timoney, and that "there is no timetable for the decision" because "we don't feel any huge urgency"; and
WHEREAS, Interim Commissioner Johnson is arguable the most qualified candidate for the job, and has been recommended for the permanent Commissioner position by an extraordinary number of elected officials, police officers throughout the rank and file, newspaper editorials, community and public safety activists, and even former Commissioner Timoney; and
WHEREAS, Johnson is a native of North Philadelphia and served three years in the Navy before joining the Police Department in 1964, where he worked his way up the ranks with distinction and received numerous public-service awards and more than thirty official commendations, including the City's highest award for valor, for a gun battle where he single-handedly thwarted two armed men attempting to hold up a supermarket in 1972; and
WHEREAS, Johnson was the key architect of Operation Sunrise, the very successful attack on crime and blight in Kensington and North Philadelphia, and has developed a well-earned reputation as the consummate quiet professional for his principled and thoughtful dedication to decreasing crime, improving officer training and professional standards, and actively involving the department in troubled neighborhoods to improve the public confidence; and
WHEREAS, By not immediately filling the Police Commissioner vacancy on a permanent basis, the City's crime-fighting abilities have been essentially left in limbo and in doubt when they are most urgently needed; and
WHEREAS, Thus the Mayor should look no further than Sylvester Johnson to run our police force, because he is uniquely qualified and has the leadership to unite this City and its diverse interests in a renewed war on crime while ensuring justice for all city-wide; now therefore
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That Council urge the Mayor to appoint Sylvester M. Johnson as permanent Commissioner of the Police Department of Philadelphia.
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