Parker Plan for Safety

As Council Majority Leader, Cherelle introduced a comprehensive Neighborhood Safety and Community Policing Plan in March of 2022 in order to make Philadelphia the safest big city in America. The plan includes: 

• Hiring 300 additional foot and bike patrol officers to walk a beat in every neighborhood of the city, getting to know the community they’re sworn to protect and serve – without any tolerance for misuse or abuse of their power.
• Filling current vacancies within the police department and addressing other personnel challenges – including rehiring retired police officers and hiring civilians to fill administrative roles to get sworn officers back on the streets.
• Addressing quality-of-life issues such as cleaning streets, fixing broken streetlights, and repairing and preserving homes where the owners may not be able to afford the repairs. 
• Supporting victim and witness services including modernizing and filling vacancies at the 911 Call Center and establishing a hotline for victims and witnesses so people feel more comfortable reporting crimes. 
• Investing more in community engagement to address long-term issues that lead to a rise in crime. 

Bringing this proposal forward was not easy to do – at the time, many in the city, including some of those running for mayor now, were convinced that a plan that calls for more police would be political suicide. But she did not take cues from the loudest voices calling to defund the police, instead talking to and listening to people in communities across the city, and taking action.

Since leaving Council, some areas of this plan have started to be implemented, but it will take a Mayor with the vision and the courage to implement it all, which is a major reason why Cherelle is running. 
Read Cherelle’s comprehensive Neighborhood Policing and Community Safety Plan HERE.