Another Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office scandal. Another shrug.
At this rate of complicity in sheriff's office scandals, city officials won't hold the office accountable until it costs someone their life.
Oh, I get it now.
We’re just going to wait until the incompetence at the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office leads to someone dying or getting seriously hurt — again — before anyone is held accountable.
Silly us for thinking city leaders would step in prior to “thoughts and prayers,” or maybe even a slick City Hall video, a la the Sixers arena debate, where Mayor Cherelle L. Parker could look earnestly into a camera and tell another group of Philadelphians, “I hear you.”
Can anyone in leadership hear us now? Because it’s been one ridiculous scandal after another while many mostly shrug.
To name just a few of the most notable lowlights:
Sheriff sales had been on hold for more than three years, leaving tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue uncollected.
Deed transfers after mortgage foreclosures that typically took six to eight weeks were inexplicably taking seven months or longer.
Meanwhile, Sheriff Rochelle Bilal’s staff continues to spend millions out of “slush fund” fee revenue that’s supposed to be turned over to the city. But then, how else could they afford a new $9,000 office mascot?
And that’s just the financial issues, which on principle alone should have forced city leaders to insist on an overhaul of the office.
Now comes the latest revelations by my Inquirer colleagues William Bender and Ryan W. Briggs that Bilal’s office is failing miserably in its handling of court security and inmate transportation — two of its chief responsibilities — because of a dangerous shortage of deputies the office blames on a lack of funding. But — surprise — that doesn’t add up.
One judge called the situation “a disaster waiting to happen,” but based on the examples we know of, the disaster is already happening.
The disturbing video of a brawl inside Philadelphia’s Family Court that left one man seriously injured got a lot of attention earlier this year.
But, in fact, the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts tracked 72 security incidents at the Criminal Justice Center and the city’s four other court buildings last year — nearly triple the incidents logged in 2019 under Bilal’s predecessor.
If all of that wasn’t bad enough, there is also the matter of justice delayed and therefore denied, with court proceedings being put off for hours or postponed altogether because sheriff’s deputies aren’t able to transport defendants from holding cells to courtrooms.
Maybe that doesn’t register with most people; there’s not usually an overabundance of compassion for people who find themselves on the wrong end of our criminal system. But those delays don’t just affect defendants. They also affect the loved ones of victims who have sometimes waited years, if not a lifetime, for justice.
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I can only imagine the city leaders shrugging off the latest problems at the sheriff’s office haven’t spent much time in courtrooms. Those who have know they can be tinderboxes. Court security officers deserve the support and resources to be able to do their jobs safely. And court staff should never be put in a position to have to fill the dangerous gaps.
For her part, Bilal — a former police officer who was elected to a second term as sheriff last year — insisted budget limitations made it impossible for her to increase staffing, even though City Hall officials say she’s authorized to hire 50 more deputy sheriffs.
Meanwhile, Bilal’s chief budget director, Craig Martin, pointed to lengthy training requirements, and officers out on disability, for “sucking away” the money meant to hire more deputies.
But the only thing consistently sucking away money seems to be the mess of a sheriff’s office.
Last year, according to an internal memo, the office diverted money intended for new positions to pay raises — including one that would have seen Bilal’s then-$136,083 salary increased by 105%. Bilal later said a staffer had tried to double her salary without her knowledge.
Sure, that tracks. Don’t you hate it when your colleagues try to secretly give you a fat raise?
The sheriff’s office ended the last fiscal year with a $1 million payroll surplus due to unfilled positions. And in June, City Council voted to allocate $35.7 million to it for fiscal year 2025 — $1 million more than what was in Parker’s proposed budget.
Fantastic message there, Council members: Welcome to Philly, where incompetence not only pays — it’s rewarded! I’d tell you how much down to the penny, but the city has yet to disclose the salary of a disgraced former lawmaker the sheriff’s office recently hired as its new spokesperson.
In fairness, some city officials have tried to push the issue. Most recently, State Rep. Jared Solomon wrote a letter to Nina N. Wright Padilla, the president judge, to diplomatically suggest that she hold an evidentiary hearing to fully document the “current deficiencies.”
She has yet to publicly respond.
No rush.