Philadelphia’s New Police Commissioner Sworn In

Philadelphia now has a new police commissioner, as Richard Ross was sworn in by Mayor Jim Kenney yesterday. The action came just one day after Kenney himself was inaugurated into office. He was sworn in at Central High School, which Ross himself attended. Also participating in the ceremony was District Attorney Seth Williams, who held the Bible. Ross is a 26-year veteran of Philadelphia’s police force. As Philadelphia is home to the nation’s fourth-largest police force, Ross has no small task ahead of him. He says that the city police force is staffed with good people, but doesn’t deny that it has its problems.

Richard Ross was sworn in as Philadelphia’s new police commissioner.

Ross says that his top priority is reducing crime in Philadelphia. He follows in the footsteps of former commissioner Charles Ramsay, during whose term there was a significant drop in homicides throughout the city.

Building better relationships between police and the community is also high on Ross’s list. He called the present a “challenging time for law enforcement,” what with all the tensions between the public and police due to several highly-publicized police shootings across the country. He stressed during his swearing-in speech that the community will need to work together to make a better city.

During his swearing-in, Ross told a story that illustrated how communities can work together to prevent crime. He recounted a time in his childhood during which someone broke into his family’s home. All the men in the neighborhood took quick action, patrolling the streets for hours afterwards to try and find the offender. Ross says that no homes were broken into for years after that incident.

As his first action, Ross appointed Chief Inspector Myron Patterson as Deputy Commissioner of Patrol Operations.