For immediate release: Thursday, April 21, 2022
Contact: Genevieve Greene, 267-207-0871
Philadelphia, PA – The Office of the City Controller announced members of its Community Advisory and Accountability Council, a coalition of community leaders, religious leaders, and residents who will support the Office’s review of the Philadelphia Police Department. The Controller’s Office received more than 200 applications and nominations to participate in the Community Council. Members were selected based on various factors, including their background, experience, application responses, and demographics.
“I want to thank the many people who applied to join the Community Council for my office’s review of the Philadelphia Police Department,” said City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart. “Reimagining public safety and policing has never been more important and the public cannot be left out of this process. It is my hope that with this review and the resulting recommendations, we will have the tools and information needed to truly transform policing in Philadelphia. I am confident that this diverse group will help us strengthen these efforts and better understand how resources can be used to support and protect all Philadelphians.”
In selecting the Community Council, the Controller’s Office aimed to include individuals that represent diversity in race, gender, and neighborhood, as well as positive, negative, and neutral views of police. Members of the Community Council are as follows:
- Tonya Bah
- Phil Cochetti
- William Rick Collins
- Lydia Currie
- Fred Dedrick
- Amy Gershenfeld Donnella
- Kelcey Duggan
- Christopher Gannon
- Overseer Christopher Robert Hanna Sr.
- Tamir Harper
- Aubrey Hayes
- Kiasha Huling
- Jamal Johnson
- Sarah Johnston
- Anil “Bob” Kothari
- Carla Lewandowski
- Becky Mer
- William D. Markert Jr.
- Tamika Morales
- Barbara A. Simmons
- Richard Speizman
- Reverend Mark Tyler
- James Williams
The review will focus on the Police Department’s operational and resource deployment, including how Philadelphia compares to other police departments across the country and best practices in policing. The review is in response to a request from City Council to analyze spending on police and related functions, which has exceeded $725 million in recent fiscal years.
The review will be performed by Stout, an advisory firm with expertise in accounting and analysis of public finance. Center for Policing Equity, a leader in the assessment and analysis of policing activities and equity, and Horsey, Buckner & Heffler, a minority-controlled financial firm, will also support the review.
While all analysis and financial work will be led by Stout and its subcontractors, the Community Council will meet regularly to receive updates, give feedback, and provide additional background and context to some of the issues reviewed based on their personal experiences and knowledge.
The review is expected to be complete by June 2022 and the report will be released publicly once final.