NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN: Nutter Names Top Cop

Mayor-elect Michael Nutter today named former Washington police chief Charles H. Ramsey as his pick for police commissioner, citing Ramsey’s “presence, record and passion” as key assets that he said will “turn the city around and bring about a new day in Philadelphia.” With nearly four decades of police experience, Ramsey comes to Philadelphia about a year after stepping down as the Washington police chief, a position he held from 1998 through 2006.

Nutter made the much-anticipated announcement at the YMCA at 51st Street and Chestnut Street, one of the city’s most violent neighborhoods. Ramsey, who left as the top cop in the nation’s capital in January, when new Washington mayor Adrian M. Fenty took office, oversaw a significant drop in crime during his tenure. He oversaw a 3,900-member police force; Philadelphia has about 6,600 officers. MORE