Philadelphia Police Department shuffles command structure

The Philadelphia Police Department is reorganizing its top brass with the aim of streamlining the operation. 

Commissioner Charles Ramsey says the 36 command changes begin at the top. They include not replacing four deputy commissioners who are retiring or who have retired.

“We have six divisions in our city, five of the six divisions will be receiving new inspectors, taking command,” he said Friday. “We have 21 police districts in the city and seven districts will be getting new captains.”

John McNesby, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, favors the plan.

“It gives some new opportunities to some new commanders, and it also gives the people under them in the districts a chance to be able to CC,” McNesby said. “There will be some new thinking in the police department in some of them commands.”

Ramsey says the restructuring comes as he plans for the future. He anticipates personnel leaving under the city’s deferred retirement option plan– or DROP.

“The beauty of DROP if there is one, and I know there is some controversy about it, but it’s from a management perspective,” Ramsey said. “You can look in advance and know when key people are retiring and what you can do is look now, looking at 2013 looking at 2014 and looking at where your gaps are going to be.”