ABOVE PHOTO: Deputy Commissioner Pedro Rosario
(Photo/Albert Lee, City of Philadelphia)
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker and Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel have announced plans to address public safety, specifically in the Kensington area of Philadelphia, including the historic introduction and swearing-in of a new deputy police commissioner with specific duties involving that community.
Deputy Commissioner Pedro Rosario was sworn in by Commissioner Bethel at the 24th and 25th District Police Station. Rosario is a 29-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) who has risen from a 911 dispatcher role through numerous supervisory roles until now, when Bethel swore him into office as the first Latino deputy police commissioner in PPD history. Rosario will serve as deputy commissioner of the department’s Kensington Initiative.
“Earlier this week, I had the privilege of meeting with community members from Kensington to listen to their hopes and aspirations for their neighborhood,” Parker said. “Today, I’m proud to return and stand with Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel as he administers the oath to Pedro Rosario, whose unmatched qualifications and 29 years of service make him the best candidate to lead our efforts in Kensington. We celebrate his becoming the first Latino deputy police commissioner in Philadelphia Police history – over 225 years. I promised a more diverse administration and Police Department that looks more like the people that it serves, and today’s announcement is an important step in the right direction.”
“For too long, Kensington has borne the scars of drugs and blight,” Bethel said. “It’s our charge to turn the tide, and to lead this effort, I’m excited to announce the creation of a new position within the department: Deputy Commissioner of the Kensington Initiative. For this role, I have determined that there’s no better person to lead the charge than Captain Pedro Rosario. With 29 years of dedicated experience in the PPD – most of which was spent serving in various roles in East Division – Pedro embodies the grit and dedication this mission demands. And in a historic first for our department, Deputy Commissioner Rosario’s appointment marks a long-overdue milestone on our path to inclusivity. As the first Latino deputy commissioner in PPD’s 225-year history, his leadership reflects the diversity of the communities we serve, sending a powerful message of representation both within and beyond the badge.”
On her first day in office, Parker Issued Executive Order 1-24, declaring a “Public Safety Emergency” in Philadelphia and directing the police commissioner, with support from the managing director and other city officials, to develop a comprehensive strategy, using every available resource, to combat and prevent violent crime, including to attack open-air drug markets in neighborhoods like Kensington. Bethel and the Department will produce an outline of that plan within 30 days, and a definitive plan within the first 100 days of the Parker administration. The appointment of Rosario will be a key part of the commissioner’s plan for Kensington.
During the announcement, Bethel read excerpts from a letter that Rosario wrote to residents of the police district when he was serving as their neighborhood precinct captain. “The spirit to endure,” Rosario wrote to those residents. “It means, We don’t quit.” That spirit, Bethel said, is what Rosario will bring every day to the people of Philadelphia.
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