WHEREAS, Robert J. Mitchell grew up in Northeast Philadelphia, served in the Army after
graduating from North Catholic in 1954
, and joined the Police Department in 1958; and
WHEREAS,
For the next four decades, Mitchell rose through the ranks, developing the reputation as a by-the-book officer with an unblemished record, and had previously retired but returned to the department when former Commissioner Tucker requested his assistance; and
WHEREAS,
During his tenure, Mitchell has held various commands mostly in operations, including as Chief Inspector, where he commanded the Patrol, Special Operations, Narcotics, and Internal Affairs Bureaus; and
WHEREAS,
Mitchell was appointed in 1995 to the position of Deputy Police Commissioner, where he oversaw the administration of COMPSTAT, and was responsible for the planning and policing of large scale events such as the July 4th Welcome America Celebration, the Wachovia Championship Bike Race, the Greek Picnic Celebration and the Mummers Parade, as well as being instrumental in the very successful planning, coordination and management of the Police Department's 2000 Republican National Convention operation, and developing the department’s strategy for dealing with terrorist attacks; and
WHEREAS, Robert Mitchell was appointed in 2002
to the position of First Deputy Police Commissioner, the second highest position in the department,
and was
responsible for all front-line police operations, including more than 7,300 sworn and civilian employees in the Patrol, Detective, Narcotics, Special Operations, Community Affairs, and Command Inspections Bureaus; and
WHEREAS, First Deputy Commissioner Mitchell is so widely well-regarded that last year Mayor Street made the unprecedented move of announcing he did not want Mitchell to retire as planned but instead intended to keep him on to “maintain the continuity of leadership”; now therefore
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That Council as a body does hereby honor and commend First Deputy Police Commissioner Robert J. Mitchell for his four decades of service with the Philadelphia Police Department.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Deputy Commissioner Mitchell as a token of this legislative body’s sincere appreciation and respect for his contributions to the City of Philadelphia.
End