Commission investigating Philly Department of Licenses and Inspections finishes report

An independent commission investigating the city's oft-maligned Department of Licenses and Inspections sent its findings to Mayor Michael Nutter's administration on Monday.

But a Nutter spokesman said he had no immediate details about the report or when it would be released publicly.

The report is a culmination of 14 months of work by the 19-member panel, which was tasked with "studying and analyzing all aspects of 'L&I' including the department's structure, management, operations, policies, procedures, and customer service."

It is expected to have wide-ranging implications for the future of the city department.

Nutter formed the commission in the aftermath of the Market Street building collapse that killed six inside a Salvation Army store in June 2013.

An official with the commission declined to detail specific findings Monday and said the mayor's office would provide the timeline for the report's public release.

The panel, officially known as the Special Independent Advisory Commission to Review and Evaluate the Department of Licenses and Inspections, was formed by Nutter in the days after the June 5, 2013, catastrophe. The group is made up of academics, lawyers and construction officials specializing in building code and safety, public finance, IT governance and management.

"The Commission is dedicated to developing a set of progressive proposals that will improve public safety for the City of Philadelphia and its citizens well into the future," according to the commission's website.

The commission official who confirmed the report was completed on time and sent Monday to city officials declined to say when it would be released publicly, but a source told Philly.com that findings were expected be released Sept. 25. Some commission members, according to the source, would speak Oct. 1 at a Union League forum. They are also expected to be joined by the report's author, former Inquirer journalist Dick Cooper.

The collapse at the corner of 22nd and Market streets killed six people and injured 14 others.

Two men have been charged criminally: the contractor hired to demolish a building adjacent to the Salvation Army store and a construction worker operating a crane at the time of the incident. Both men's cases are pending trial. A three-story, brick wall under demolition fell onto the Salvation Army Store, crushing the one-story building.

Their attorneys contend the two suspects are scapegoats.

"My position is, the owners, the City of Philadelphia, the architect and the Salvation Army are all responsible for this tragedy," said William Hobson, the attorney for defendant Griffin Campbell, at a court hearing last month.

Hobson and an attorney for the other defendant, Sean Benschop, asked for separate trials. They also submitted at a list of potential witnesses that included numerous high-ranking city officials. Mayor Nutter and Licenses and Inspections Commissioner Carlton Williams are on the list.

A ruling on the separate trial request could come this week.

This story was updated at 11:45 a.m. to reflect the correct day of the forum at the Union League.