PHILADELPHIA, PA — The City of Philadelphia’s Citizen’s Police Oversight Commission (CPOC) has released Part 2 of its Collaborative Review and Reform of the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) Police Board of Inquiry. This report comes two years after the release of Part 1 in 2021, a period marked by significant changes in police oversight and public expectations for police accountability in Philadelphia.
Part 1 of the review resulted in major reforms to the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) contract, allowing civilian staff from CPOC to review disciplinary charges, sit as adjudicators on Police Board of Inquiry (PBI) panels, and for civilian attorneys to administratively prosecute discipline cases instead of PPD staff. These changes, which would each be considered a significant reform on their own, mark a key achievement in the ongoing collaboration between CPOC and PPD.
These reforms demonstrate a commitment to improving police accountability. “With commitment and collaboration, real changes that improve police accountability are possible,” according to an official statement from the CPOC.
Despite the progress made, the CPOC acknowledges that there is still work to be done. Transforming long-established processes at large institutions like the PPD takes time. The CPOC has expressed its eagerness to continue the reform process through new recommendations in this follow-up report.
As part of its ongoing mission, the CPOC and PPD will continue to assess PBI operations to increase fairness, transparency, and accountability in the discipline process for officers and civilians alike.
This project is representative of the type of oversight work that the CPOC plans to continue. The commission’s approach is data-driven, collaborative, and most importantly, effective in its pursuit of improved police oversight.
The release of this report underscores the city’s commitment to police reform and accountability, a topic that has been at the forefront of national discussions in recent years. The CPOC’s work represents an important step forward in this ongoing effort.
Read the Collaborative Review and Reform of the PPD Police Board of Inquiry Part 2 Report: here
Download Updates Explainer, Charging Updates Explainer, New Recommendations Explainer and PPD Misconduct Flowchart
Read the Collaborative Review and Reform of the PPD Police Board of Inquiry Part 1 Report: here
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