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Commissioner Richard Ross, who joined the Philadelphia police
force in 1989, tendered his resignation after serving for two
years in the department's top job, Mayor Jim Kenney said in a
written statement.
Last summer Philadelphia handed down new sexual harassment rules
and implemented a series of internal reforms throughout the city
government aimed at preventing workplace discrimination and
harassment.
In July, two female members of the Philadelphia Police
Department sued the city, alleging they had been groped and
verbally harassed by male colleagues on the force and that
supervisors, including Ross, failed to respond adequately.
Ross was not personally accused of any wrongdoing.
"While rolling out a new policy understandably takes time, I do
not believe the police department has taken the necessary
actions to address the underlying cultural issues that too often
negatively impact women—especially women of color," Kenney said.
Ross did not issue a separate statement.
The mayor said a deputy commissioner, Christine Coulter, had
been named to serve in the top job on an interim basis during a
search for a permanent replacement.
"I will be enlisting the help of an independent firm to
investigate the recent allegations and to make recommendations
to overcome some of the discrimination and harassment within the
department," Kenney said.
(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
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