Enhanced policing initiative for senior Philly officers set to instigate transformation, affirms commissioner.

Philadelphia Police Department Announces Strategic Transformation

The Philadelphia Police Department has announced a five-year strategic transformation plan, aiming to reduce and prevent violent crime, support officers, and develop better management practices. This ambitious plan is spearheaded by Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel, who also sits on the advisory committee of the Policing Leadership Academy in Chicago.

As part of this transformation, the department is focusing on moving from a paramilitary mindset to a service business model. One key aspect of this change is the adoption of a data-driven approach to decision-making, a concept that is central to the Policing Leadership Academy's philosophy.

The Policing Leadership Academy, funded by the Carnegie Corporation and made possible by a $2.55 million grant from the Neubauer Family Foundation, is a five-month program that teaches senior officers about criminology, police leadership, data-focused decision-making, and strategic leadership. The curriculum is taught by policing experts, and participants reside in Chicago for one week each month.

Capt. Joseph Green of the 12th Police District in Southwest Philadelphia is one such participant. After completing the academy, he created a capstone project that encouraged community engagement, leading to significant decreases in homicides, shootings, shooting victims, and fewer traffic stops in his district.

The University of Pennsylvania is also playing a role in this transformation, launching a new course to help with the process. Designed by Penn professor of criminology John MacDonald, in collaboration with police and government officials, the course combines the use of science and management principles in the field of evidence-based policing. The course promises participants a degree in less than two years with a hybrid model that includes required monthly in-person classroom instruction and weekly online sessions.

Fifteen members of the department's senior leadership will be able to earn a master's degree in criminology, tuition-free, through this program. This investment in education is a response to a national survey by the Police Executive Research Forum, which reported that in 2022, 71% of law enforcement agencies spent less than 5% of their budgets on new recruit training.

The strategic plan will greatly benefit from the 45 men and women who complete the Policing Leadership Academy helping to implement it. The officers were chosen by a panel of senior leaders and had to submit their resumes and write an essay explaining why they wanted to participate.

As of Aug. 27, the city of Philadelphia has seen a significant decrease in crime. There were 149 homicides, a 18.58% drop from the same period in 2024; 8,176 violent crimes, a decrease of 6.34%; and 43,844 property crimes, a drop of 6.66%. These numbers suggest that the strategic transformation plan, with its focus on building trust in the communities served, strategic leadership, and data-driven management, is off to a promising start.

Enhanced policing initiative for senior Philly officers set to instigate transformation, affirms commissioner.