Philadelphia police fire its first-ever diversity, equity and inclusion officer just HOURS before a new commissioner and mayor take office and vow to restore 'legality'

The Philadelphia Police Department fired its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) officer just hours before a new commissioner and mayor took office, promising to restore “legality.”

Then-acting Police Commissioner John Stanford fired DEI Officer Leslie Marant, 57, who began her role in April 2022 during a meeting Tuesday morning.

Marant was informed by Stanford that its services were no longer needed as part of the restructuring led by the new commissioner, Kevin Bethel.

The exact reasons for Marant's dismissal, with a base salary of $170,568, were not disclosed and the department has not yet provided further details.

Despite Marant's departure, the DEI position will remain vacant as the department plans a national search for her successor, citing a concerted organizational restructuring under new leadership.

Then-Police Commissioner John Stanford (pictured) fired DEI officer Leslie Marant, 57, who began her role in April 2022, during a meeting Tuesday morning

Mayor Cherelle Parker and former Mayor Jim Kenney, left, participate in the inauguration ceremony in Philadelphia on Tuesday, January 2, 2024

“Under new leadership, restructuring and realignment of an organization is common,” said Sgt. Eric Gipp told Philadelphia Inquirer.

This came just hours before Democrat Cherelle Parker, 51, who became the city's first Black and female mayor, signed an executive order declaring a public safety emergency.

“I want the world to know that I am fully committed to ending this sense of lawlessness and returning order and a sense of legality to our city,” she said in a speech.

She pledged during the campaign to hire another 300 police officers, including community officers, and to reinstate “constitutional” stop-and-frisk. She also raised the idea of ​​year-round school attendance to reduce juvenile crime.

Her plans include increasing the number of police officers on the streets, with an emphasis on community policing — a policy she championed while on the city council.

Parker said her Public Safety Emergency “will quickly bring all available resources to neighborhoods struggling with the scourges of crime, gun violence, drugs and addiction.”

She said her new police chief, Kevin Bethel, is tasked with planning for these crises and for quality-of-life crimes including auto theft, shoplifting and illegal ATV use.

Cherelle Parker, the newly sworn-in 100th mayor of Philadelphia, delivers her inauguration speech at the ceremony on Tuesday

Parker is seen swearing in the new Philadelphia Police Commissioner, Kevin Bethel, on Tuesday

Philadelphia has experienced rampant crime in recent years violent crimes such as robberies and aggravated assaults with weapons rising above pre-pandemic levels.

Another one yesterday A Philadelphia man was pushed onto subway tracks and fatally struck by an oncoming train, just days after the city's new mayor vowed to crack down on crime.

The man was fighting with another man on the SEPTA platform Thursday around 4:30 p.m. when disaster struck at the 34th Street Station.

Bystander video captured the tragic moment when one of the men punched the other, causing him to stumble on the tracks.

Moments later, a SEPTA train on the Market-Frankford line arrived at the platform and killed the man.

A SEPTA spokesperson confirmed that the man seen throwing punches in the video has been taken into custody, but it remains unclear whether charges will be filed against him.

The person killed has yet to be identified, but a user on

Retired Sergeant. Mark Fusetti said on X: “These two men are known to the Septa Police Department.

'They are homeless and live in the metro. They are called by Septa destinyless horsemen.”

A Philadelphia man was pushed onto subway tracks and fatally struck by an oncoming train, just days after the city's new mayor vowed to crack down on crime

Bystander video captured the tragic moment when one of the men punched the other, causing him to stumble on the tracks.

Kensington, which was a bustling industrial district until the 1950s, is now described by The Philadelphia Inquirer as “the poorest neighborhood in the poorest big city in America”

Exclusive photos from Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood reveal a shocking scene of drug destruction, with addicts injecting themselves in broad daylight

“They take the EL & Subway day and night. They use the trains as toilets and beds. This is another crime that could have been prevented if Septa had not let them live in their trains.”

“Officers there as guards, not warriors, get to know the people they are sworn to protect and serve,” she said during her inaugural address Tuesday night.

Parker takes over a city where violent crime is declining: homicides are down more than 20 percent year over year, and non-fatal shootings are down 28 percent.

But Philadelphia had a grim reputation in 2020 and 2021 as one of America's most dangerous cities, with more than 500 murders a year — significantly more than New York, which is five times the size.

And thefts in Philadelphia are skyrocketing, with reported car thefts up 72 percent. Retail theft is also soaring, rising 28 percent in the past year.