History makes it clear: Abolish the sheriff’s office | Editorial

For more than a century, Philadelphia's sheriffs have been accused of voter intimidation, jury tampering, systematic extortion, and much more.

Sheriff Rochelle Bilal's tenure has been marked by scandal and incompetence, writes the Editorial Board. It is in keeping with a long tradition at a sheriff's office that should have been abolished long ago.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer

by The Editorial Board

Published March 24, 2024, 6:00 a.m. ET

No matter who holds the position — Democrat or Republican, man or woman, self-styled reformer or party loyalist — the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office has been plagued by corruption and self-dealing for more than 150 years.

Thanks to an expansive digital history project by Inquirer reporters Ryan W. Briggs and William Bender, the record of misconduct has never been clearer. Ever since the city and county of Philadelphia became one in 1854, the office — a relic even at the time — has been a case study in malfeasance and misfeasance. And it is long past time for city officials to do something about it.

Over the decades, sheriffs have been accused of voter intimidation, jury tampering, systematic extortion, rewarding political favors from the public purse, and much more. No matter how much the city changes, the jobbery in the sheriff’s office seemingly remains the same. Newspaper editorial boards have called for the abolition or contraction of the office since at least 1868.

During a tenure marked by equal parts scandal and incompetence, the current sheriff, Rochelle Bilal, has shown she is nothing if not a traditionalist.

Before she even took office, Bilal organized a going-to-prison fundraiser for one of her predecessors, John Green. Green was found guilty of taking $675,000 worth of bribes from a businessman and political donor, James Davis. In exchange, the sheriff improperly steered millions of dollars in excessive fees toward Davis’ companies, costing taxpayers in the process. Green’s interim successor, Barbara Deeley, received an immunity deal in exchange for her testimony. Nevertheless, the no-bid sweetheart contracts continued under her watch.

Under Bilal, a deputy sheriff, Samir Ahmad, was arrested in an FBI gun trafficking investigation. His alleged crime? He was trying to sell the guns used to kill 14-year-old Nicolas Elizalde and injure four others after a football practice at Roxborough High School in 2022. As Jacqueline Maguire, special agent in charge of the bureau’s Philadelphia office, said at the time, “The idea of a sworn public servant so blatantly undermining public safety is reprehensible.”

Ahmad took advantage of a department that seems incapable of properly handling weapons that come into its possession. A 2023 report from the City Controller’s Office indicated that nearly 200 guns were unaccounted for. Domestic abuse survivors say the office also struggles to seize firearms from abusers. Between January 2020 and June 2023, only 13% of more than 10,000 such cases had been marked complete by deputies.

Besides performing such duties as transporting prisoners and executing warrants, the sheriff’s office is also charged with handling foreclosed real estate transactions. It is failing there, as well. The department hasn’t held a tax sale in years, costing the city millions of dollars and seeding blight and abandonment across our communities.

Meanwhile, a 2023 Inquirer investigation found that Bilal diverted hundreds of thousands of dollars intended to hire deputies to fundraisers for her executive staff. She also tried to more than double her own salary.

During her recent budget address, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker promised to get tax sales back up and running. Good, but after correctly identifying the sheriff as the source of the problem earlier this year, the mayor now wants to bring Bilal into the fold.

Making peace might be politically pragmatic — and in keeping with more than a century in which officials have lacked the political will to confront the department’s failings — but it is bad policy for the city.

The only way to reliably fix the issues that plague the sheriff’s office is by abolishing it and distributing its functions to other agencies. Any “fix” to property sales that continues to involve the office is likely to end in indictments. Even electing a new sheriff offers little guarantee of positive change.

Parker should insist on increased oversight of the office’s finances, which have long been a source of contention. Restoring the proper flow of resources through such a powerful department is an important part of Philadelphia’s long-term financial health. But she shouldn’t stop there.

The mayor should use her mandate and her strong relationship with both City Council and the Democratic City Committee to put an end to the sheriff’s office, once and for all.