WHEREAS, In 1993, the City Council overrode the veto of then-Mayor Edward Rendell and established the Police Advisory Board as the official civilian oversight agency for the Philadelphia Police Department; and
WHEREAS, In response to the City Council’s override, the Mayor negotiated with Council, and thereafter issued Executive Order 8-93, creating and establishing the Police Advisory Commission as the official civilian oversight agency for the Philadelphia Police Department; and
WHEREAS, In June 1994, the Police Advisory Commission, consisting of eight direct mayoral appointments and seven mayoral appointments from a list of designees supplied by the City Council, and four alternate members: two mayoral appointees, and two City Council designees, having been duly appointed by the Mayor pursuant to the terms of the Executive Order, conducted its first meeting and officially commenced operations; and
WHEREAS, There are currently only eight serving Commission members out of the requisite 19, only six of whom are active, and all of whose terms of office expired by October, 2003; and
WHEREAS, The City Council during November, 2003 pursuant to the terms of the Executive Order, approved and forwarded to the Mayor a list of designees for appointment to the Commission; and there being no Executive Order prerequisites for the Mayor’s naming of his nominees; and
WHEREAS, The Commission has been in continuous operation since June 1994, and since that time has processed more than 1500 complaints, has handled tens of thousands of inquiries from the public concerning police and police-community related matters, has conducted more than 45 public hearings on complaints and other police policy issues, has conducted or participated in countless workshops, forums, presentations and similar activities educating the community and the police on police-community relationship issues; and
WHEREAS, The Police Advisory Commission is now an integral part of the City’s administrative justice system, and a provider of a valuable service to the Police Department and the citizens of the City, as recognized by the City Council in its Citation to the Commission on the celebration of its Tenth Anniversary on September 19, 2003; now therefore
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby urge the Mayor of Philadelphia, the Honorable John F. Street, to take all such steps as may be necessary to complete the process established by the Executive Order for the appointment or reappointment of as many persons as required, including seven City Council designees and two alternates from the list provided, to fill all vacant and available positions on the Police Advisory Commission.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That Engrossed copies of this resolution be presented to the Mayor, the City Managing Director, and Mr. Christopher R. Booth, Esquire, Chair of the Committee on Appointments of the 21st Century Forum, a standing citizens’ committee, the purpose of which is to advise the Mayor and the administration on appointments to Boards and Commissions, as soon as reasonably possible.
End