The Philadelphia Police Advisory Commission is
charting a new, more efficient course -- at least that's the goal, according to
leaders of the civilian oversight board. The group announced Monday that
longtime executive director Bill Johnson has been laid off and the organization
will look for a new leader.
The interim director of the commission said he's
dedicated to moving it in the right direction -- one that's more transparent
and accessible.
"We're working on some maps and other digital
solutions that will appear on our website," said Kelvyn Anderson.
"That will allow people to see exactly what types of complaints are being
handled by the commission and Internal Affairs, where they are in the city,
what types of complaints they are."
To move forward correctly, Police Advisory Commission
Chair Ronda Goldfein said the group must address a backlog of cases.
"We have complainants who are no longer
interested, complainants who are no longer in the area, and we have officers
for who these complaints are just hanging over their heads," Goldfein
said. "We need to reach out to the complainants and, if they're interested
and involved, then we'll see what we can do. But to kind of keep them open
indefinitely doesn't serve anyone."
City Councilman Curtis Jones Jr. said the recently
fired Johnson should not shoulder all the responsibility for the commission's
work.
"Bill was the victim of an ill-prepared body --
they didn't have enough budget, they didn't have enough investigators, they
didn't have enough support either from the administration or the
community," Jones said. "He was between a rock and a hard place of
public policy."
Over the summer, Goldfein said the commission will
assess how it handles complaints and investigations.