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Who will fill Ramsey's shoes? Signs point to his No. 2

A Philadelphia native with support from inside and outside the Police Department is likely to be the city's next top cop.

Richard J. Ross Jr. (left), first deputy commissioner. “If I were mayor, he’d be my choice,” Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey said. (ALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ/Staff Photographer)
Richard J. Ross Jr. (left), first deputy commissioner. “If I were mayor, he’d be my choice,” Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey said. (ALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ/Staff Photographer)Read more

A Philadelphia native with support from inside and outside the Police Department is likely to be the city's next top cop.

First Deputy Commissioner Richard J. Ross Jr., a 26-year veteran of the force and the current No. 2 man in blue, was the leading pick whispered to succeed Charles H. Ramsey after the popular commissioner announced he is retiring Jan. 7.

Eight years ago, Ross was an internal front-runner for commissioner before Mayor Nutter looked nationally and found Ramsey, former chief of police in Washington. Since becoming his top deputy, Ross, 51, has frequently taken the helm when Ramsey is called away.

In an Inquirer interview hours after announcing his retirement, Ramsey did more than whisper: "You're not going to get any better than Rich Ross. If I were mayor, he'd be my choice."

Other potential candidates to lead the 6,500-person department include Deputy Commissioner Kevin Bethel, a charismatic reformer on the juvenile justice front who has led community policing efforts. Bethel has overseen day-to-day field operations in recent years as the city saw a steady decline in crime.

In a city that is 44 percent African American, Ross is the second-highest-ranking black officer; Bethel is right behind him.

Another name mentioned: SEPTA Police Chief Thomas J. Nestel III, who has emerged through social media and community outreach as a face and voice of Philadelphia policing. He has three master's degrees and more than 22 years in the city Police Department, having been captain of the elite highway patrol unit and staff inspector of internal affairs.

Still another: Chief Inspector Joseph Sullivan, who heads the city department's homeland security unit and was a familiar face in recent months as he spearheaded policing for the papal visit, twice traveling to Rome to meet with Vatican security personnel and appearing side by side with Nutter at many a briefing.

On Wednesday, the name most circulated was Ross'.

John McNesby, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, said he would "be absolutely supportive of Rich Ross as commissioner."

He and Ross were in the same police academy class, rose through the ranks together, and still have a good relationship, McNesby said. "He's a straight shooter, doesn't beat around the bush."

Democratic mayoral nominee Jim Kenney, though circumspect in his comments Wednesday, had previously signaled that if he won and Ramsey stepped down, he'd pick a successor from within the department. (Asked who he'd bet gets the nod, a Kenney ally, McNesby, replied, "Rich Ross.")

"There will be a new police commissioner," Kenney said in an interview. "But we're not going to talk about that person on the day when Commissioner Ramsey decided to retire. I don't think it's respectful to him."

Republican nominee Melissa Murray Bailey has named Ross as her favorite for the job.

A former mayor and governor, Ed Rendell, said an insider pick makes sense - this time.

As mayor, Rendell tapped outsider John F. Timoney to shake up a department in need of change. But today, Rendell said, "I think our Police Department has been very effective, so I don't think there's reason to change the way we do business and bring in an outsider."

State Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams, who took heat in the spring during his mayoral run for saying he would not keep Ramsey as commissioner, said Ross' name kept popping up everywhere, from community forums to FOP union endorsement meetings.

Another former Democratic mayoral candidate, Doug Oliver, echoed that: "It was clear, even among the candidates, that it was going to be 'Commissioner Ross' because he was the preseason favorite, even before Ramsey."

It's a job Ross, who is married with two children and living in Fox Chase, has said he wants.

In 2008, he told The Inquirer: "I'll be honest with you: One day, God willing, I'd like to be the police commissioner here first and foremost. Or if not here, somewhere else."

He grew up in the Fern Rock section. After graduating from Central High School, he attended Pennsylvania State University, where he majored in labor and industrial relations.

Ross worked as a plainclothes officer in the Ninth District, in Center City, then as a detective, a sergeant, and a lieutenant. He briefly led Mayor John F. Street's security detail. In 2005, he was appointed deputy commissioner, and he was elevated to first deputy by Ramsey in 2008.

A religious man who holds a black belt in karate, Ross is described by those who know him as an intense, thoughtful leader. They describe an old-school cop who has garnered respect from newer officers, even if he has less recent street-level experience than commanders such as Bethel and Sullivan with community policing - the key to Ramsey's philosophy.

Ross received a master's degree in criminal justice from St. Joseph's University. He told the school's alumni magazine in 2013 that one of his favorite expressions is, "A great deal of what you see is what you're looking for."

He explained: "You're here to improve the quality of life for the people that you're sworn to serve and protect, and you can't get so disgruntled that you view it as 'us against them' - if you believe that everybody in the neighborhood you police is a bad guy, that's what you'll see. And it will have a negative impact on how you do this job."

jterruso@phillynews.com

215-854-5506@juliaterruso

Inquirer staff writers Chris Brennan and Aubrey Whelan contributed to this article.