Kevin Bethel named Philadelphia's next police commissioner
UPDATE: Who is Kevin Bethel? What you need to know about Philadelphia's next police commissioner
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker named Kevin Bethel as the city's next police commissioner during a press conference Wednesday.
Bethel has been serving as Chief of School Safety for the School District of Philadelphia. Prior to that role, he was a deputy commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department from 2008 to 2016.
Bethel will take over a 5,800-member department that is facing the impending retirements of hundreds of officers -- meaning the department will be nearly 1,000 officers short of its budgeted number of positions.
Bethel is a former captain and commanding officer of the 17th Police District in South Philadelphia.
Two of the biggest concerns for Philadelphians are reducing crime and improving public safety.
Both are major initiatives for the city's next mayor.
"We know people are retiring. People looked at the number of people who are in DROP [the city's deferred retirement option plan]. We have to do everything that we possibly can to encourage people to want to apply," Parker said.
READ MORE: Philadelphia Police Department is down nearly 1,000 officers, investigation shows
Retired NYPD sergeant and police expert Joseph Giacolone said Bethel comes into his new role prepared.
"He's got a department that's pretty much morale is pretty low," said Giacolone, who teaches at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. "He's got crime issues, carjackings and there's a lot of youth crime, but his background might be beneficial to the city of Philadelphia because of that."
Former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw resigned on Sept. 22 to take a job as the deputy chief security officer at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
John Stanford took over as interim commissioner in her absence.
In a news conference after Election Day, Parker said she planned on announcing a new commissioner before the Thanksgiving holiday.
She said she was looking at both local and national candidates, but wanted someone who knows the city well and had "chemistry and credentials."
"I talked about someone not needing a GPS to make it to 52nd and Market if that's where they need to go," Parker said.
She added the next police commissioner will need to have the trust of both herself and the police department.
Bethel is a current board member and former fellow of the Stoneleigh Foundation which works in the criminal justice and youth space.
In a statement, they said:
"Kevin is an extraordinary leader, a trusted colleague, and a man of deep character and conviction, who has an unwavering commitment to the safety and wellness of our city's youth and communities."