Nov 16, 2007 11:03 am US/Eastern
Next Police Commissioner Preparing For Duty
PHILADELPHIA (CBS3/AP) ―
-
-
Former Washington D.C. Police Chief Charles Ramsey was named the next police commissioner of Philadelphia by Mayor-elect Michael Nutter.
CBS
Former District of Columbia
police Chief Charles Ramsey will become the city's police commissioner in
January, taking over a department trying to stem a rise in murders and a series
of shootings targeting officers.
Mayor-elect Michael Nutter announced his choice on Thursday. Ramsey will
replace police Commissioner Sylvester M. Johnson, who had previously announced
that he would retire at the end of the year.
"We need a strong leader who has the presence, the record and the passion
to make a difference on the streets of Philadelphia,"
said Nutter, who takes office in January.
Ramsey
is a Chicago native who worked in
that city's police department for 31 years before going to Washington.
He oversaw the District's 3,800-member force from April 1998 until he was
replaced last year by a new mayor. The District's longest-serving police chief
in more than three decades, he has worked as a consultant since his departure.
He was credited with overhauling the department, increasing spending for
training and tightening policies on deadly force. He was the public face of the
investigation into the 2001 disappearance of government intern Chandra Levy.
Ramsey was praised for cutting crime in many neighborhoods and for continuing
that trend even when resources were stressed after the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks. Between 1998 and 2005, the number of major crimes, including
homicides, rapes and robberies, dropped significantly in Washington,
according to department statistics.
"I'm extremely excited to have this opportunity," Ramsey said.
Ramsey, who also had interviewed for the top spot in Baltimore's
police department, assumes the mantle in Philadelphia
as the city grapples with increasing levels of gun violence and a spate of
police shootings, including the slaying of a police officer earlier this month.
"We've got a very good police department here ... with a lot of committed
men and women," Ramsey said, "and my job is just to lead them in the
direction that's going to make our streets safer."
Nutter made the announcement at a West Philadelphia YMCA, a block from one of
the city's deadliest corners.
"I'm sure that in the coming months after the inauguration, Philadelphians
will start to see a difference on the streets of this city," Nutter said.
A former city councilman, Nutter has said he will use "stop, question and
frisk" searches to fight crime in violent neighborhoods. He also has said
he wants to add hundreds more police officers to the city's 6,500-member force.
Ramsey said he believes the controversial "stop, question and frisk"
is an effective crime-fighting tool when used sensibly.
"Stop and frisk is one tactic that is used to fight crime.
We have to be careful to make sure that we respect the people that we're
serving and that we don't alienate a community we're trying to help," Ramsey
told CBS 3 Anchor Ukee Washington
Friday.
Ramsey also favors the use of technology like surveillance
cameras in problem areas, a tactic Philadelphia
has begun using in recent months.
"We will be very aggressive and very focused in dealing with crime. But we
will do it within the framework of the law, because one thing we will not do is
abuse the rights of citizens," Ramsey said. "Philadelphia
has crime problems, but they are fixable problems."
Johnson has led the city's police department since January 2002, when former
Police Commissioner John F. Timoney resigned to join a New
York City private security firm. Timoney is now the
police chief in Miami.
Johnson, a North Philadelphia native, joined the
department in 1964 and was officially named commissioner in April 2002.
"I have a lot of respect for Commissioner Johnson, I've known him for
years," Ramsey said. "I look forward to sitting down with him and
getting his views."
Ramsey said it was too soon to say whether he would hire his deputy
commissioners internally or from elsewhere, or whether the department needs
more officers or a restructuring to make it more efficient.
Ramsey becomes the city's 14th police commissioner. The city has had only two
other commissioners from outside the department:
Timoney, who came from New York City and was Philadelphia's top cop from 1998
to 2002, and Kevin Tucker, a former Secret Service agent named to the post in
the wake of the disastrous 1986 MOVE bombing.
John McNesby, president of Lodge 5 of the Fraternal Order of Police, criticized
the choice of a candidate from outside the department.
"I think that there's plenty of talent that exists in the Philadelphia
Police Department; I'm disappointed that he didn't choose from within the
ranks," McNesby said. "But then again, he's the mayor; it's his
prerogative, and we're going to work with Commissioner Ramsey to clean up the
streets of Philadelphia."
While talking to CBS 3 Anchor Ukee Washington
Monday morning, Nutter said the choice was not a matter of location, but
qualifications.
"It's not a debate about inside or outside, it's a debate
about finding the best person that you can. This is the decision that I made,"
Nutter said.
Ramsey concluded by saying he already considers himself a Philadelphian.
"Last Sunday, I thought the Washington Redskins blew a lead in the fourth
quarter and lost that game," he said. "Two days ago, when the mayor
called me, I realized that was a remarkable comeback on the part of the
Philadelphia Eagles."
CBS3.com's Most Popular Pages:
Slideshow: Hidden Hobbies Of The Stars
Slideshow: Extravagant Celebrity Gifts
Slideshow: 2007 Celebrity Deaths
Slideshow: Officer Cassidy Laid To Rest
Slideshow: Openly Gay Celebrities
Slideshow: 90's Celebrities Then & Now
Slideshow: Stars Who Died Too Young
Slideshow: When Not To Hyphenate Your Name
Slideshow: Useless Body Parts
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Comments