Keith English, a 60-year-old retired chiropractor, graduated as valedictorian of his Philadelphia Police Training Center class last month. But his hiring as the oldest police rookie in recent memory underscores a sobering reality for the Philadelphia Police Department: It still can’t find enough traditional recruits to fill its ranks.
Like in many cities across the country, Philadelphia’s police department has fewer shootings to investigate than it did during the surge of gun violence that came alongside the Covid-19 pandemic; it’s facing less anti-law enforcement rancor than it did in the wake of the police shooting of George Floyd and the unrest it sparked. But these developments haven’t translated into more recruits.
“There’s a stabilization that has to happen before you start to see increases,” says Commissioner Kevin Bethel. “We’re in one of the most challenging periods.”
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As of January, Philadelphia had about 1,100 vacant officer positions, Bethel told The Trace. The Philadelphia Police Department — the fourth largest local law enforcement agency in the country, with an annual budget of more than $870 million — is funded to employ 6,380 officers. By early February, there were about 5,220, said Captain Johnny Walker, who heads recruiting.
With fewer people available to fill positions, the Police Department is putting them in different kinds of jobs. Last year, Bethel announced that all new officers would be dispatched to patrol duty. The goal of that strategy, Bethel says, was to prevent the officer shortage from compromising public safety.
Based on Philly’s crime trends so far, the strategy seems to be showing promise. Nearly two months into the new year, shootings and homicides are continuing to decline. So are other gun-related crimes. As of February 17, total crime was down by 14.2 percent since the same time in 2024; robbery with guns was down by 26.28 percent; and aggravated assault with guns was down by 11.76 percent.
“Policing is undergoing a critical shift, moving beyond the negative connotations that for all too long have shaped the narrative of law enforcement.” — Commissioner Kevin Bethel
Still, shootings remain a constant reality — even amid the joyous celebration for the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl victory. During the February 14 gathering along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, an argument over a portable restroom resulted in a man drawing a gun and shooting two people, police said. Both victims were shot in their legs and taken to hospitals with non-life threatening injuries. The shooter fled the scene; police made an arrest over the weekend.
Walker was on hand at the celebration to recruit. “This is the challenge you have in law enforcement. It’s the challenge you have with people — whether they have permits or not — carrying guns to a joyous event,” he says. “Skirmishes are going to happen with crowds like this. … But when you have close to a million people out here … there were minimal skirmishes.”
Fighting the stigma
Some Philadelphians say they’re experiencing the hiring department’s gap firsthand. Lenise Miller, co-chair of the Philadelphia 25th Police District Advisory Council, says she and others would like to see more officers in North Philly. She believes that more staffing would lead to quicker 911 response times and a better bond between police and residents.
“A lot of people say, ‘Where’s the police?’ We never see them. They might ride around the block, but they keep on going. I used to stop them and let them know who I am because half the police officers in the 25th don’t even know that I’m [with] PDAC,” Miller says. “So, if there’s something happening outside, I’m coming outside, and I’m letting you know. I let the officer know I’m Miss Miller.”
Policing became “unattractive” in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 and 2021, says Roosevelt Poplar, president of the Fraternal Order of Police — Lodge #5, the Philly officers’ union. “Things have taken a turn for the better in law enforcement, but we’re still not attracting enough individuals to the point that we can replenish the manpower,” he said. “It takes a lot to do that because of the attrition.”
The department’s officer vacancy numbers reveal just how elusive stabilization has been. In fiscal year 2019, 99 percent of officer positions were filled, according to data Walker provided. By 2023, that number dipped to 89.1 percent, and is now at 82.9 percent, according to the department.
Citizens have varying views on the officer shortage. “It seems like I can see them in the neighborhood, but it definitely is more like an emergent presence a lot of times,” said LaToya Winkfield, a North Philadelphia resident. She sends her kids to school in South Philly, where she notices more patrolling.
But David Evans, president and co-founder of Block By Block Philly, a nonprofit focused on keeping the city clean, is taking the shortage in stride because he’s not a fan of heavy policing. “A larger police presence makes people feel more uncomfortable,” he says.
To close Philly’s vacancy gap, 75 new officers would have to join the force every six weeks for several years.
Amid the shortage, Evans says, residents are helping each other stay safe. “What we have been doing in our neighborhood when we have issues with security, we’re leaning on one another … and just talking to the people that are causing some safety issues to see if we can find some middle ground,” he says. “Crime, at the end of the day, is typically needs-based. People are hungry, jobs are hard to find, and so people act out in drastic ways.”
The police hiring challenge is not unique to Philly. New York City, home to the nation’s largest department, had 8,177 applicants signed up to take the police exam last year, down from 18,400 in 2017, the New York Times reported. In Chicago, there are 1,580 fewer sworn officers on the payroll today than in September 2019, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
To close Philly’s vacancy gap, 75 new officers would have to join the force every six weeks for several years, says Bethel. He acknowledged that would be difficult because officers constantly retire or resign, sometimes to work for neighboring police departments. While the anti-police sentiment that gained currency in recent years may be waning, Bethel says, it’s still a factor as the department works to make up ground it lost when Covid-19 temporarily shuttered the police academy.
Bringing wisdom to the work
English is now assigned to the 24th police district — which includes Kensington, one of the city’s most violent pockets.
English has wanted to join the police force since he was 10, when a state trooper spoke at his school. He’s a married father of two adult daughters and a son who just entered the police academy. The bespectacled officer recently received a clean bill of health after completing treatment for stage 3 cancer. Now, he said, he’s undaunted by the challenges he will likely encounter on his North Philly beat.
“Law enforcement is a dangerous career, but I’m going to try to help the people in Kensington,” he said. “I bring a lot of life experience, compassion and empathy. Having 60 years of life experience I’ve seen many people go through all kinds of facets of life and challenges.”
Poplar, who presented awards at the graduation ceremony, said that to his knowledge, English is the oldest rookie to join the force. He approves. “Older people are a little wiser, they have more experience in life,” he said.
English graduated with 61 fellow newly minted officers. Bethel told them they were joining the force at a time of great need and ever-greater scrutiny of the profession; Philadelphia’s police watchdog commission is gearing up to conduct its first investigations.
“Policing is undergoing a critical shift, moving beyond the negative connotations that for all too long have shaped the narrative of law enforcement,” Bethel told the new officers and several hundred relatives and friends. “Words like, ‘marginalized,’ ‘defund’… We’re moving beyond that.”
To recruit more police, the department has hired a marketing firm to work on a branding campaign. “In days before, we’d put out a call for police and we’d get thousands and thousands. Those days are gone,” Bethel says. “So, we have to do what many professions are doing: be more professional-oriented, and market in multiple places.”
Mensah Dean is a staff writer at The Trace. Previously he was a staff writer on the Justice & Injustice team at The Philadelphia Inquirer, where he focused on gun violence, corruption and wrongdoing in the public and private sectors for five years. Mensah also covered criminal courts, public schools and city government for the Philadelphia Daily News.
Afea Tucker has a deep love for her city and its diverse communities. She oversees Up the Block, a resource and information hub for Philadelphians who have been affected by gun violence. Before joining The Trace, Afea was a veteran media professional and freelance journalist whose work had been published by The Philadelphia Tribune, WHYY, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and other news organizations.
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