Parker Administration Establishes the Office of Public Safety
New Office Helmed by Chief Public Safety Director Adam Geer
Philadelphia — Today, the City of Philadelphia formally announced the creation of the Office of Public Safety (OPS). The new office was established by executive order last month and is led by Chief Public Safety Director, Adam Geer. Director Geer is a Cabinet-level official appointed by Mayor Parker and confirmed by City Council.
The Office of Public Safety coordinates cross-departmental efforts to promote public safety and provide input to City agencies on matters such as resource deployment, policy formulation, and stakeholder engagement. To these ends, OPS partners closely with the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) and the Managing Director’s Office (MDO).
OPS absorbed five offices previously housed in MDO:
- Office of Safer Neighborhoods (Formerly the Office of Violence Prevention)
- Office of the Victim Advocate
- Office of Reentry Partnerships
- Office of Criminal Justice
- Town Watch Integrated Services
OPS is also building out senior staff, adding key executive roles including a community partnerships team, a director of performance management, and a director of grants.
“I have complete faith in Adam Geer and the Office of Public Safety to lead our City’s efforts in making Philadelphia a Safer, Cleaner, Greener city with access to economic opportunities for All,” said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. “With a Charter that creates clear expectations and accountability for the Office, I believe Adam Geer’s cabinet-level appointment to the Chief Public Safety Director role demonstrates my administration’s commitment to making Philadelphia a city where rampant gun violence is a thing of the past.”
In 2024, OPS hit the ground running, notching several early successes. In the past six months, the office launched a nationally acclaimed crime-scene cleanup pilot in partnership with the Police Department. Several other OPS initiatives are launching this summer. Meanwhile, OPS has already been awarded four grants by the federal government and philanthropy for initiatives relating to community violence intervention, juvenile justice, housing, and debt relief for justice-involved Philadelphians. Some highlights follow below.
The City’s highly successful Group Violence Intervention (GVI) strategy received over $600,000 in federal funding as the result of the advocacy of Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon. With this funding, GVI will partner with the Office of Children & Families (OCF) to expand the program to serve Philadelphia’s young people. As part of the expansion, GVI will hire dedicated caseworkers to focus on youth and their families in the areas most impacted by gun violence, as identified within Commissioner Bethel’s 100-Day Plan.
The Office of the Victim Advocate (OVA) launched a new initiative to better serve victims and co-victims of gun violence in Philadelphia. Moving forward, all victims and co-victims of gun violence can expect to receive prompt communication from the OVA that includes condolences, but most importantly, resources and services available to all Philadelphians victimized by gun violence. With this initiative, the City will guarantee Philadelphians never have to face gun violence and its impacts alone.
The Office of Reentry Partnerships is leading the launch of the City’s Neighborhood Resource Centers (NRC). The NRCs operate as a one-stop shop for returning citizens to access a holistic range of services – employment training and opportunities, mental health counseling, drug treatment options, and assistance in getting critical documents like birth certificates and social security cards. By meeting our returning community members where they are, the Parker Administration aims to make access to services a reality for all Philadelphians, no matter where they live.
“It is my great honor to serve the Parker administration as Chief Public Safety Director,” shared Chief Public Safety Director Adam Geer, “From my time in the courtroom as a prosecutor to my role as Deputy Inspector General for Public Safety, and my work in the community, I am thrilled to lead the dedicated and talented team within the Office of Public Safety in serving Philadelphians impacted by violent crime. I know that we will not be satisfied until rampant gun violence is a thing of the past in our City and I am committed to achieving this vision with the guidance of Mayor Parker.”Updates to the Office of Public Safety are shared through its social media and website.