Suburban police chiefs say they’re encouraged by Kevin Bethel’s upcoming appointment as Philly police commissioner

When news broke last week that Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker had chosen Kevin Bethel to be Philadelphia’s next police commissioner, law enforcement officials and community leaders on the other side of the city line said they felt something they haven’t experienced in some time: Relief.

Some police chiefs in nearby suburbs have been vocal in recent months about their frustration over crime drifting into their jurisdictions from the city. And they have faulted city law enforcement officials for failing to prevent that.

But Bethel, the current chief of school safety for the School District of Philadelphia, inspires confidence in these suburban leaders, who say they’re hopeful that he’ll embrace effective policing strategies and find a way to curb crime that they say has slowly migrated from the city.

In recent interviews, they pointed to Bethel’s decades of service in law enforcement — the 30-year veteran worked as a captain before joining the Philadelphia department’s top brass — and said they believed he understands the challenges specific to the region.

Bethel, 60, and his wife Rhonda, a retired Philadelphia Police officer, now live with their three daughters in North Wales, but they plan to move into the city once he assumes his new position.

Bethel’s tenure in Philadelphia included a stint as a deputy commissioner under former Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, a respected leader in law enforcement, and that instills confidence, said Abington Township Police Chief Patrick Molloy.

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“Kevin is among the best. He comes out of that stock as a deputy commissioner who believes in crime reduction and is interested in juvenile justice,” Molloy said. “Someone like him has the gravitas it takes to lead and is results-oriented.”

Molloy drew pushback in July after he criticized Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner for “failed policies” that he said led to the attempted abduction of a 14-year-old girl at the Willow Grove Mall. The suspect in that case, Khalil Evans of Oak Lane, had been arrested on gun charges in Philadelphia in 2018 and 2022, but was freed on bail to await trial in both cases.

Later in 2022, Evans pleaded guilty to theft in Montgomery County and was sentenced to 18-to-23 months, but was paroled in January by a county judge. Molloy said Evans never should have been on the street and free to commit the crime at the mall.

Philadelphia City councilmembers bristled at Molloy’s criticism in July, and a spokesperson for Krasner dismissed it as “cheap political rhetoric.”

Molloy defended his comments, saying policies enacted in the city, including the Driving Equality Act championed by Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, have led to an uptick in illegal guns being seized in his township and others nearby.

The measure, enacted in 2022, bars city police from pulling over drivers for minor issues such as broken tail lights, stops that studies have shown are disproportionately used to detain and search Black and Latino drivers.

Critics argue that the measure strips officers of enforcement power that had helped ferret out drugs and illegal weapons.

“The guns that we are getting on car stops, some of those stops are not lawful in Philadelphia because the message is sent to cops that don’t they have ability to enforce the law,” Molloy said. “Instead of giving officers the tools to do their job properly, they have taken that away.”

Still, Molloy said he has been encouraged by Parker’s focus on community policing and her public-safety plan, which includes hiring 125 more police officers, increasing foot patrols and forming relationships with small businesses and neighborhood groups in an effort to tamp down gun violence.

“I think Kevin is the right man to do that, and I think he’ll surround himself with some solid deputies,” Molloy said. “I’m very hopeful, and so are many of my colleagues.”

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Among them is Bensalem Township Public Safety Director William McVey, who expressed frustration about the Driving Equality law in an op-ed published in August by Real Clear Politics. McVey said that 42% of people arrested in the township are from Philadelphia and many, he said, “seem shocked” to learn that they are being sent to county jail to answer for their crimes.

“It’s clear that Mayor Parker wants to make a change and recognized the state of affairs in the city, and obviously we are receptive to that,” McVey said. “Hearing what she has said, hearing what the new commissioner has said, it seems like things are moving in a new direction, and I hope they can put into action what they’re saying.”

McVey said he was encouraged by Bethel’s commitment to address retention and recruitment issues in the Philadelphia, where the 6,900-member force is down 500 employees and has more than 800 police officers set to retire in the next four years. And he said he is looking forward to strengthening the collaboration between his department and the one Bethel will lead.

“I see a lot of people blaming each other, and it’s not all in their control, but we need to be on the same page,” McVey said. “And that starts with the city taking control and holding criminals accountable.”

Across the Delaware River, Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. — who publicly blamed “freaks with guns” from the city for the July 4 shooting of a 6-year-old girl at a fireworks display in Camden — said he is encouraged by Bethel’s appointment and his association with Ramsey.

“When you have a major city like Philly, some of the crime in that city falls out into the region, which is not to say there’s never any crime from Camden spilling into Philly,” Cappelli said. “Fighting crime takes a regional approach, and we’re looking forward to working with the new commissioner to continue supporting that approach.”