Philadelphia’s mayor wants to increase the police budget, a move seen in other cities

During a budget presentation, Mayor Cherelle Parker announced a proposed $600 million investment in public safety for the next five years.

Cherelle Parker, the first woman elected mayor of Philadelphia, is following through on her promise to strengthen the city’s police force.

During a budget presentation on March 14 before the City Council, Parker announced a proposed five-year, $600 million investment in public safety. This includes the hiring of hundreds of new police officers every year, an increase in recruiting, and funding for more community policing.  

“My budget includes hiring at least 400 new officers every year. We’ll increase the number and frequency of recruiting classes and leverage a cadet program as a pipeline,” Parker said in the address. “My One Philly Budget supports deploying more officers in the field – walking the beat, riding a bike, getting to know the people they are sworn to protect and serve – the core of our Community Policing model.”

The public safety funds also include $24 million for community-based anti-violence programs, $3 million for the police oversight board and $45 million for a new police forensics laboratory. Parker is also committed to investing outside of public safety. She proposed more than $36 million for cleaning and green initiatives, half a billion in street paving and millions for the school district. 

Despite calls to “defund the police” following George Floyd’s murder, many cities are instead pumping more money into police departments. ABC News surveyed 109 enforcement agencies and found that 91 of them increased budgets by at least 2 percent. 

“Now, you all know that I fully support our police department. But I want to be clear: we will have zero tolerance for any misuse or abuse of authority by law enforcement. Period,” Parker told the City Council during her budget address. 

The mayor’s public safety plan has worried Black residents because Philadelphia has a history of police brutality. Also, Parker has openly supported Terry stops, the constitutional version of stop-and-frisk.

Philadelphia isn’t the only city seeking to spend more on law enforcement or already doing so. In Los Angeles, the City Council approved a union contract with the LAPD that increases the pay of police officers. It will cost taxpayers $384 million over the next four fiscal years. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan wants to add $15 million to the police budget for next year. In Chicago, the police budget went up slightly in 2024 from $1.90 billion to 1.99 billion. 

In Philadelphia, the City Council has until June 30 to decide on the proposed budget.

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