Among the 91 recommendations laid out in the Collaborative Reform Review of the Philadelphia Police Department was to fully cooperate with the Police Advisory Commission.
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Among the individuals, mostly journalists, awaiting the release of the Department of Justice’s Collaborative Reform Review of the Philadelphia Police Department’s use of force policies was Mr. Asa Khalif, whose cousin, Mr. Brandon Tate-Brown, was killed by a Philadelphia police officer on December 15th, 2014, and has since become a symbol of police reform, particularly in the area of transparency around fatal officer-involved shootings.
Mr. Asa Khalif, one of 10 activists arrested on charges of disorderly conduct at a town hall meeting last Thursday in Lawncrest, speaks to Philadelphia Police Commissioner, Mr. Charles Ramsey, following a press conference announcing the 48 findings and 91 recommendations in the Collaborative Reform Review of the Philadelphia Police Department. Photo Credit: C. Norris – ©2015
Mr. Tate Brown’s death, however ambiguous it maybe, would fit the criteria—an unarmed civilian involved in an officer-involved shooting—of requiring an independent investigation, as recommended by the Collaborative Reform Initiative: An Assessment of Deadly Force in the Philadelphia Police Department, which contains 48 findings and 91 recommendations.
The assessment of the Philadelphia Police Department, as per the request of the police commissioner, identified “serious deficiencies” in the department use of force policies and training, including a failure to maintain a certified field training program; deficient, inconsistent supervision and operational control of officer-involved shooting investigations and crime scenes; and oversight and accountability practices in need of improvement, most notably being the need for the department to fully cooperate with the Philadelphia Police Advisory Commission, the more than 20 year-old civilian oversight agency which recently filed a subpoena in order to obtain OIS data from the police department.
Mr. Ronald Davis, COPS Office, Director, celebrated the police commissioner’s “courage” to acknowledge what’s not working and seek ways to improve.
Philadelphia was the third city to ask for this critical assessment, following Las Vegas, Nevada and Spokane, Washington. The Collaborative Reform Initiative, says Mr. Davis, is fairly new, but it’s a “strong component of police reform” in America.
Mr. Davis wanted Philadelphians to be assured that the Department of Justice will be working alongside the Philadelphia Police Department and city officials to implement the many reforms suggested in the report.
“It’s important the Philadelphia Police Department have a clear plan to reform policies, procedures and protocols,” stated Mayor Michael A. Nutter, who said he’ll work on a “realistic approach” to implement reforms as soon as possible, though many of the recommendations, he said, are already being instituted.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner, Mr. Charles Ramsey, who the mayor praised for being on the “forefront of change,” called the recommendations “solid” and said many of them he’ll incorporate into the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, which he co-chairs.
Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter speaks at a press conference. Photo Credit: C. Norris – ©2015
Mayor Nutter, who worked to establish the Police Advisory Commission when he served on City Council, said he and Commissioner Ramsey have been reforming the police department since day one.
The mayor pointed to the crime fighting strategy Mr. Ramsey put forth thirty days after being sworn in as an exmaple.
This work is never done, said the mayor, “everyday is another day to do better.”
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