Crime in Philly 2024: Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel reflects on first year in role

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel will soon have one official year under his belt as top cop.

Looking back on his first year in the new role, he says he hopes to build on the progress the city is seeing when it comes to violent crime. 

In 2024, total homicides are on pace to be the lowest since 2015.

He says the department still has a number of "s" cases that could be classified as a homicide, but anticipates that number to be under ten.

"We know by looking at that data, if we focus in those core areas and those core districts that have a significant level of violence, we can have an impact, we know that," he said.

The Commissioner points to partnering with other city leaders, technology and clearance rates—roughly 73 percent for homicides and 37 percent for shootings—combined with the city recovering from pandemic closures.

"The system has finally got its feet back under them, fully engaged," he said. "One good year is not going to change folks’ vision of the city, so it’s going to take a lot more than that."

FOX 29's Kelly Rule mentioned the shooting at Dilworth Park just over a week ago, a popular spot for tourists during the holidays.

"Something like that happens and people immediately say, 'See I told you, the city’s not safe, we’re not coming back.' How do you deal with that?" Rule asks.

"Our job is to continue to sell the city and have hope. I think what has happened historically is we have those and we kind of let them sit," said Commissioner Bethel. "I think the more we create a forward posture, the more we say, 'Hey you do that? Guess what.' Commissioner Vanore comes back and says, we made two arrests."

The Commissioner says the department is still short 1,300 officers. He is hoping they can build on the increase they saw in recruitment numbers this year.

The issues around the number of guns in the city continue to be a challenge. This year, Commissioner Bethel says they saw a slight decrease in the number taken off the street, which he hopes is evident of a trend for fewer guns on the street in general.

In September, the department lost Officer Jaime Roman, who was shot in the line of duty over the summer during a routine traffic stop.

"I see these young men and women as my children, so for the first time, I feel like I lost a son," he said. "We’re going to continue to go after those individuals that have guns in our community."

He added that he's tired of hearing people say they need to carry a gun because they are scared of somebody else with a gun.

"I think that’s flawed in my opinion, and sends the wrong message to the city," he said. "We need to tell people not to carry weapons."

In 2025, Commissioner Bethel says he is looking forward to bringing the diversion program he started with the school district a decade ago, to policing city-wide. 

It will focus on youth who commit low-level, non-violent offenses and will range from a day-long program to more intensive follow-up.

"People are saying it’s soft on crime, this is the hardest work I ever did, it was easy to lock up a kid," he said. "If we want our community to see us differently, we want families to see us differently, we need to treat the community differently, and I think we can start with our young people."

The Commissioner says he will also announce a five-year strategic plan, which will involve community input.