Philadelphia Police Department Fires First DEI Officer as New Leadership Takes Office

Leslie Marant, the department's first diversity, equity, and inclusion officer, was dismissed hours before new Mayor Cherelle Parker and Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel assumed their roles, signaling potential restructuring under the new administration.

• Philadelphia Police Department's first diversity, equity, and inclusion officer, Leslie Marant, was fired just hours before a new commissioner and mayor took office.
• Marant, who began her job in April 2022, was fired by then-acting Commissioner John M. Stanford, who said that the new commissioner, Kevin Bethel, would be restructuring the department and no longer needed her services.
• The department has not provided specific reasons for Marant's termination, but has stated that the DEI position will remain open and a national search for Marant’s replacement will be launched.
• Marant's termination came just hours before Cherelle Parker became the city’s first black mayor and signed an executive order declaring a public safety emergency, vowing to restore law and order and tackle the city’s growing crime wave.
• Marant, a former chief counsel to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission with no prior law enforcement experience, was hired under former Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw.

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