Phila. police earn coveted accreditation

Three years ago, when Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey assembled a unit of officers tasked with modernizing the Philadelphia Police Department, he didn't mince words about the seriousness of the assignment.

"Your career depends on this," he told Lt. Stephen Clark, whom he had appointed to head the unit.

On Wednesday, flanked by Clark and other department officials, Ramsey announced the results of that unit's work: The department has won accreditation from the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association.

About 63 percent of the department's policies were revised or updated to fall in line with the 135 policing standards set by the chiefs' association.

And thanks to a clause in the department's labor pact with the Fraternal Order of Police, winning accreditation means that each Philadelphia police officer has received a $1,500 bonus - a total of about $9.75 million in bonuses, paid from city coffers.

The changes ushered in by the accreditation process included clarifications of the department's use-of-force policy, standardization of its training programs for rookie cops, and more secure ways of storing and transporting evidence.

The push for accreditation is behind changes as small as altering the wording on outdated policies, and as large as rewriting the rules on how homicide detectives interview witnesses.

Richard E. Hammon, the coordinator of the accreditation program, said he and other members of his agency were impressed when they visited Philadelphia to assess the department's progress in August. They will visit again in three years to determine whether the department is still in compliance with their standards.

"A department the size of Philadelphia is unique unto itself, and it would be so easy for that department to say, 'We're Philadelphia, and we'll do as we want,' " he said. "It was not like that at all."

Ramsey on Wednesday called the move "a very powerful step towards the future." And, then, turning to Clark - "I take back what I said about your career," he said, to laughter. "You're good now."

Clark said many of the changes put in place during the accreditation process have helped the department fall into compliance with another set of standards: the recommendations set forth by the Department of Justice, which investigated Philadelphia police shootings for two years.

Ramsey said those recommendations, which focus solely on use-of-force policies and training practices, are about 40 percent complete.

Clark said one of the biggest challenges of implementing changes was simply communicating with a department of 6,500 officers.

"Getting all the changes out to so many people - it's a big ship to turn ...," he said, "but the vast majority of the Police Department recognized the need for it."

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Since 2009, the Philadelphia Police Department has changed the majority of its policies in a modernization effort. Here are some notable changes:

Standardized the field training for new police officers. Before, each police district decided how rookies were trained.

Installed continuing training for veteran officers, including for anti-racial bias, firearms proficiency, and use of less-lethal weapons such as Tasers.

Mandated victims be given a more thorough explanation of their rights under the law. In the past, victims would get a brief verbal rundown on their rights. Now they get a form delineating services available to them.

Required that homicide suspects' interviews be videotaped.

Improved securing and handling of evidence. In the past, officers transported the evidence to storage units in City Hall - wasting thousands of hours and exposing the department to liability if anything happened to the evidence during transport. Now, evidence is stored in secure units in the police districts.

Acquired a van accessible to the handicapped to transport disabled suspects and prisoners.

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