Ramsey seeks study on police use of force

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey has called for an independent U.S. Justice Department investigation into the use of deadly force by the department's officers.

"When you have as many as we've had, it gets people wondering if they were all justified," Ramsey said. "We've been looking at this issue since December. The Civil Rights Division of the DOJ knows and agrees this is a good course of action."

The best possible outcome, according to John McNesby, president of Lodge 5 of the Fraternal Order of Police, would be if "they find we're outgunned, undermanned, and under-equipped."

Better still, McNesby would like to see the investigation lead to additional federal funds "so we can put another couple hundred cops on the street."

The call for an investigation follows a turbulent week for city police in which officers shot four people, three fatally.

The number of people shot by city officers increased 50 percent in 2012, when police shot 52 people, compared with 35 in 2011, Philly.com reported. This year, however, the number has come down: There have been 19 police-involved shootings so far in 2013, compared with 28 for the same period in 2012, police data show.

Ramsey told Philly.com, which first reported the request for an inquiry Tuesday, that an internal assessment might not have the same credibility, which could lead to "tension in the communities where we're most concerned."

"We may have reached that point here in Philadelphia," he said.

Ramsey did not respond to a request for comment from The Inquirer.

The Justice Department's review, which would likely take less than a year, would include an analysis of policies, procedures, training, and tactics, according to the Philly.com story. It would be funded by the federal Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.

This is not the first such review for the Justice Department, nor is it the first time Ramsey has called for an outside look, Philly.com reported.

When he was chief of the Washington force, he called in Justice, and after recommended changes were made, police shootings dropped drastically.

McNesby said that all of the Philadelphia shootings had been cleared by the District Attorney's Office.

He took no issue with the commissioner's request for a broader investigation, saying, "Ramsey has the ability to call for whatever he thinks will help the department."

McNesby said that the shootings "just show what our officers are up against on the street today. It's more of a violent tone."

He said officers were encountering AK-47s and other assault rifles - guns that are more powerful than any the officers have.

Earlier Tuesday, "a guy was shot 10 times and killed," McNesby said. "Ten times? Really? It just doesn't make any sense. . .."

He said that the department had close to 7,000 officers in 2007. Now, the number is about 6,400.

"We need more police presence," he said.

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