FOP says city slashed number of Parkway cops

The Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #5 said Saturday that city officials dramatically reduced the number of police officers who were assigned to work the two-day Made in America concert on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

FOP vice president John McGrody said numerous officers who were scheduled to work this weekend were instead told late Friday or early Saturday that they shouldn't show up for their shifts.
Specific figures weren't immediately available, but McGrody said the number of officers who were told not to work the detail was "significant."

"From what we're hearing from our members, in certain spots where three or four cops were supposed to [monitoring] an area, there's now only one," McGrody said.

The decision to reduce the number of cops at the concert "came from City Hall," McGrody added.
Mark McDonald, Mayor Nutter's spokesman, said the city doesn't discuss the number of officers assigned to an event like Made in America as a matter of policy.

McDonald said the city's public safety team, including Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, and members of his senior staff, finalized a plan on Friday for the security arrangements inside and outside the concert.

"We believe we have a plan that will maximize and ensure a safe event," McDonald said.
The spokesman noted that the city's public safety unit has "wide experience" in handling events much larger than Made in America.

"We're concerned about our police officers," McGrody said, "especially if there's a conflict, and we don't have the right resources."