City leaders wrote to state officials that Philadelphia should be permitted for three years to set its own reading and fitness standards that are less stringent than the ones dictated by the state.
Philadelphia police academy graduates salute during National Anthem at the start of a graduation ceremony in August. The department and the police union are asking state officials to relax reading and fitness requirements.
City Council President Darrell L. Clarke, the lead signatory on the letter, said the city could in the coming years be short 1,000 officers.“The city of Philadelphia should have more flexibility,” he said. “It’s a reasonable ask, and I think it will markedly increase the ability for us to deal with this.”
Mayor Jim Kenney, who has for several years said police staffing is dangerously low, did not sign the letter. His office did not respond to a request for comment Friday.The letter was addressed to House Speaker Joanna McClinton and Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward . A spokesperson for Ward said her office hadn’t seen the letter.
She said the office is “hopeful that the legislature will be able to assist local government in their recruiting efforts.”
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