Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker names Adam Geer as chief public safety director, Craig Murphy as acting fire commissioner
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Just days away from being sworn in as Philadelphia's 100th mayor, Cherelle Parker named Adam Geer as the city's new chief public safety director and Craig Murphy as the acting fire commissioner Thursday.
Geer is currently Philadelphia's deputy inspector general for public safety, which was created after the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota and the social justice movement of 2020. He previously spent time working in several city agencies, including the Philadelphia Police Department and the mayor's office.
"In a way, to be quite frank, Adam has been doing this new role already," Parker said.
Before becoming the deputy inspector general for public safety, Geer was an assistant district attorney for the city's DA's office.
"Everything in my life, both personal and professional, I believe has led me to this moment," Geer said.
The chief public safety director job was created by city council and approved by Philadelphia residents in May's primary. Geer will be Philadelphia's first chief public safety director.
Geer will oversee safety initiatives among multiple city agencies. He said Thursday he views the role as a point guard on safety, bringing city agencies and community groups together.
"How can we be working together to achieve our goals?" Geer said. "So that's really the way that I see this role, and I think that is incredibly exciting. Because often these agencies, they find themselves in silos. They have to deliver services, right?"
"Well, I'm going to take a step back and see if we can't pull ourselves out of some of these silos and get us working in the right direction for public safety," he added.
There were some questions about how the chief public safety director would work with Philadelphia police leadership, but incoming police commissioner Kevin Bethel said he views the chief public safety director as an opportunity to get everyone organized.
"Having somebody working in that space to ensure that those entities are aligning our work can only be a plus," Bethel said. "It's not about egos. It's not about who can do better, who has an expertise. It's about how do you put the right people in the room and get the work done?"
Parker declined to answer questions about the chain of command with the new position, adding she'll release more about it after she's sworn in as mayor.
Murphy is a 36-year veteran of the Philadelphia Fire Department, currently serving as the first deputy commissioner since early 2021. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2003, captain in 2006, battalion chief in 2010 and deputy chief in 2014.
He's set to take over for outgoing fire commissioner Adam Thiel, who was named as the city's next managing director by Parker on Tuesday. Thiel takes over the office from City Hall veteran Tumar Alexander, serving as the city's chief operating officer.
Throughout his career, Murphy has responded to many disaster incidents in his career, including 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, according to the mayor-elect's transition team.
Murphy said he isn't seeking the permanent fire commissioner role.
A search for a full-time commissioner will continue.
How was Geer chosen as chief public safety director
Parker said the chief public safety director was the vision of Philadelphia City Council President Darrell Clarke and co-sponsors Majority Leader Curtis Jones, Jr. and Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson.
"They all worked together to make the decision that the position of a chief public safety director should be a priority and a reality for the City of Philadelphia," Parker said.
The mayor-elect said she brought in a diverse panel to help advise the search for the position, including former city solicitor Marcell Pratt, former police commander Maureen Rush, Chantay Love with Every Murder Is Real and Anton Moore of Unity in the Community.
"What does it look like as a citizen that's walking through the neighborhood? What does safety look like?" Love said. "And could I create that space and help create that? And he was the perfect fit. Community and grass roots organizations are very, very important in helping drive down violence and preventing future violence."
Parker and her transition team's search landed on Geer as the person for the newly created position.
"Adam Geer is going to be working beside me, every day, to help make our city the safest city," Parker said.
Parker takes office next week
Parker will become the first woman and first Black woman to lead Philadelphia and will be publicly sworn in on Tuesday, Jan. 2. Parker beat Republican David Oh in November's mayoral general election.
The mayor-elect spent 17 years in government, serving as a Pennsylvania state representative and a Philadelphia city council member. She went to city public schools and was raised by her grandparents.
In an interview with CBS News Philadelphia's Ukee Washington before the election, Parker said she aims to make Philly the "safest, cleanest, greenest" big city in the nation. She also said she wants to implement a "comprehensive neighborhood safety community policing plan" she championed on city council.
"Safety, cleanest, greenest" has been Parker's vision on the campaign trail and her message since winning the general election. On Tuesday, Thiel pointed to that ideal as a reason why he accepted the managing director position.
What is the Parker administration looking like?
Thiel was one of the latest appointments by Mayor-elect Parker.
On Wednesday, Parker appointed Streets Commissioner Carlton Williams to lead the new Office of Clean & Green Initiatives. She also named Joe Grace as her communications director, Jessie D. Lawrence as the associate deputy mayor of planning and strategic initiatives, Brenda Rios as the associate deputy mayor of intergovernmental and legislative affairs, sustainability and engagement and Chris Dailey as her deputy chief of staff.
Parker named Kevin Bethel as the city's next police commissioner in November. Bethel has been serving as the chief of school safety for the Philadelphia School District and was a deputy commissioner of the city's police department from 2008 to 2016.
Earlier in December, Parker introduced Philadelphia to the "intergovernmental roundtable" she will work with while in office, and last week was presented with a "Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia" by government and community leaders.
This month, the mayor-elect also named Tiffany W. Thurman as her chief of staff, Sinceré Harris as chief deputy mayor of intergovernmental affairs, sustainability and engagement, and Aren Platt as chief deputy mayor of planning and strategic initiatives. Alba Martinez will be the commerce director and Renee Garcia will be city solicitor in her administration.
