Philadelphia district attorney, controller and judges take oath of office for new term

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Nearly three dozen Philadelphia judges were sworn in alongside District Attorney Larry Krasner and Controller Christy Brady during inauguration ceremonies Monday morning at the Kimmel Center’s Marian Anderson Hall.

“Sometimes people do bad things, but that does not mean that if the circumstances around them change, they will keep doing those bad things,” Krasner said as he kicked off the start of his third term in office.

Krasner said that there is “common faith as elected officials in Council, in the mayor’s office, in my office, that prevention is absolutely crucial. That modern enforcement, using modern tactics, forensics, are absolutely crucial to get us where we are.”

Philadelphia ended 2025 with 222 homicides, the city’s lowest number of killings in six decades. That’s fewer than the most recent low of 246 in 2013. The count hasn’t been so low since 1966, when there were 178 homicides.

Shooting incidents, assaults, retail thefts and most other serious crimes were down as well compared to 2024.

Krasner talked about the city’s efforts to invest in social programs to keep people from turning to violence while also using high-tech forensics to find people and convict them of crimes.

Krasner also offered a warning to federal officials to stay out of the city’s legal system, making a thinly veiled reference to President Donald Trump’s decision to send National Guard members into other major cities.

“And if anybody, including the guy in D.C., doesn’t want that, if they want to ‘f’ around, then they’re just going to, they’re going to find out,” he said.

Brady took the oath for her first full term as controller after winning an interim election to succeed Rebecca Rhynhart, who resigned to run for mayor in 2022.

“Our work has strengthened building inspections, helping ensure construction is carried out safely and neighbors feel secure in their homes,” she said. “We’ve uncovered misuse of the city’s real estate tax relief program, helping ensure benefits only go to eligible Philadelphia homeowners.”

Brady also vowed to look deeper into the city’s finances in her next four years on the job, especially surrounding the 2026 celebrations of America’s 250th birthday.

“Our city will be center stage for many big historical events that will mark our nation’s history and define our city moving forward, and with that spotlight comes responsibility,” she said. “There will be a significant amount of money, taxpayer dollars flowing through our city. The city must be accountable for every dollar coming in and every dollar coming out.”

Brady also vowed to review Philadelphia Gas Works and the city’s pension system.

“As chairwoman of the gas commission, working alongside Vice Chair Councilmember Mike Driscoll, we plan to conduct a thorough review of PGW’s operations, identifying opportunities to advance environmental responsibility while maintaining affordable rates for customers,” she said.

The pension system review will help ensure that the city is on its way to completing all back payments to the fund by 2033. The pension fund had been underfunded but has been steadily increasing since fiscal year 2018, when the city began increasing contributions beyond the state-mandated minimum amounts.