Police Accountability Unit

In 2019, PAU analyzed Philadelphia police officers’ use of body-worn cameras in the 24th District — which includes parts of Kensington, Port Richmond, and Juniata Park. Of the 60 cases PAU reviewed from March 2018 to April 2019, only 6 included body-camera footage before a person was arrested.

When footage was available, it revealed concerning inconsistencies:

• In 18 of the 60 cases, one or more detained people never appeared in arrest paperwork — paperwork required by the 2011 federal consent decree in Bailey v. City of Philadelphia that resulted from a lawsuit over racial disparities in police use of stop and frisk.
• PAU’s review resulted in an Internal Affairs investigation that found officers failed to follow the Philadelphia Police Department’s body-worn camera directive 97 times.

The investigation sustained departmental violations against 12 officers for failing to follow the body-worn camera directive, including a sergeant who  was sustained for failure to supervise the officers.  To learn more about PAU’s analysis, read the Philadelphia Inquirer’s coverage.

In 2019, Philadelphia police narcotics officers sent confidential informants to buy drugs from a North Philadelphia house, then — based on the informants’ reports — issued an arrest warrant for a Defender client. In 2020, PAU filed a motion arguing that the case relied on false information, and that it was part of a pattern of misconduct that calls into question any testimony by narcotics officers.

As reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer, the motion documented numerous incidents of misconduct within the Narcotics Bureau, many of which had not previously been reported. Per PAU Attorney Michael Mellon, “It’s our position there are hundreds of cases they will need to reverse. The recent history of misconduct by numerous members of the Narcotics Unit, including its supervisors, supports the argument that any determinations by the court must be made by examining the record of the unit as a whole and not in a vacuum.”

In 2019, PAU identified a troubling increase in the use of the odor of marijuana as a pretext for searching vehicles during a period where traffic stops had sharply increased. Using the Philadelphia Police Department’s stop-and-frisk data, PAU was able to show that searches of cars based on the odor of marijuana were predominately targeting Black drivers, yet the majority of those searches did not result in the recovery of marijuana.

PAU’s analysis led to a change in policy by the Philadelphia Police Department that now requires officers to call a supervisor to verify the odor of marijuana.  Since PAU identified the increase in motor vehicle stops, the number of these stops has dropped. PAU continues to litigate odor of marijuana traffic stop cases in court. To learn more about PAU’s analysis, read the Philadelphia Inquirer’s coverage.

PAU identified massive racial disparities in traffic stops performed by the Philadelphia Police Department, which disproportionately impact Black drivers.

PAU’s data analysis was integral to the passage of Philadelphia’s Driving Equality Act in October 2021. The first law of its kind in a major US city, this groundbreaking legislation bars police officers from pulling over drivers solely for certain low-level motor vehicle offenses.

A companion bill requires a public dataset of traffic stops, and Executive Order 6-21 mandates the implementation of both bills. PAU’s analysis and advocacy were featured in local, national, and international media, including CNN, NBC, BET, and ABC.

In February 2021, the City of Philadelphia passed legislation to establish the Citizens Police Oversight Commission (CPOC) after voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure in November 2020. This legislation empowers civilians to lead investigations of complaints against police and improves transparency of police misconduct and discipline. PAU’s analysis, education, and expertise were instrumental in the passage of CPOC legislation and were featured on WHYY, in community town halls, and in City Council testimony.