A project of LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute

Philadelphia at a glance

Population by race and Hispanic origin

Cities in this database with the most similarly-sized populations

Full-time law enforcement staff, Philadelphia Police Department

  • 5,444 Officers
  • 822 Civilian staff

Full-time law enforcement officers per 1,000 residents

  • 4.04 Philadelphia
  • 2.4 National average, cities with 250,000+ population
  • 2.2 National average

These figures reflect the Philadelphia Police Department only, and do not include state or other police agencies that may be present in this location.

Federal grant funding for Philadelphia

Data was last updated January 7, 2025

We identified over $23.9M in federal grant funding, FY 2015-2025

Grant funding over time

Grant funding by federal department

Recent grants

USA spending grants for: Philadelphia
Amount Start and end dates Recipient and description Awarding agency CFDA program Type
$137,918.00 1/1/2024
12/31/2025		 CITY OF PHILADELPHIA THE HIDTA PROGRAM REDUCES ILLICIT DRUG SUPPLY BY AIDING FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND TRIBAL LAW ENFORCEMENT. PERFORMANCE IS MEASURED BY DISMANTLING/DISRUPTING DRUG TRAFFICKING AND MONEY LAUNDERING ORGANIZATIONS AND IMPROVING EFFECTIVENESS OF THE INITIATIVES. Executive Office of the President Office of the National Drug Control Policy 95.001 High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program Prime
$174,688.00 10/1/2023
9/30/2025		 CITY OF PHILADELPHIA THE PHILADEPHIA POLICE DEPARTMENT WILL USE FY23 MICROGRANT FUNDING TO IMPLEMENT THE RECRUITING, HIRING, AND RETAINING THE NEXT GENERATION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS PROGRAM, USING EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES TO ATTRACT QUALIFIED CANDIDATES. THE PDP WILL PARTNER WITH THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN … Department of Justice Offices, Boards and Divisions 16.710 Public Safety Partnership and Community Policing Grants Prime
$143,920.00 1/1/2023
12/31/2024		 CITY OF PHILADELPHIA THE HIDTA PROGRAM REDUCES ILLICIT DRUG SUPPLY BY AIDING FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND TRIBAL LAW ENFORCEMENT. PERFORMANCE IS MEASURED BY DISMANTLING/DISRUPTING DRUG TRAFFICKING AND MONEY LAUNDERING ORGANIZATIONS AND IMPROVING EFFECTIVENESS OF THE INITIATIVES. Executive Office of the President Office of the National Drug Control Policy 95.001 High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program Prime
$1,852,895.00 10/1/2022
9/30/2026		 CITY OF PHILADELPHIA THIS GRANT SOLICITATION IS A CONTINUATION OF OUR EDWARD BYRNE JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM.THE PHILADELPHIA POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS LAUNCHED A PROGRESSIVE CRIME PREVENTION AND VIOLENCE REDUCTION STRATEGY. THIS STRATEGY IS BASED ON RESEARCH, THOROUGH EVALUATION OF CURRENT AND PAST STRATEGIES, AND … Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs 16.738 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program Prime

View all grants

Military equipment transfers

We were unable to locate any military equipment transfers for this location using the LESO Property Transferred to Participating Agencies database published by the Defense Logistics Agency. It is possible that this location has acquired military equipment for policing via other sources or programs.

Local police misconduct data, consent decrees, and settlements

Data last updated November 17, 2025

Settlements

We identified 4 publicly reported settlements that resulted in policy changes and $66,546,000.00 in monetary compensation to victims.

Settlements
Year Description Outcome
2023

In March 2023, the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, agreed to pay hundreds of people a total of $9.25 million to settle a lawsuit alleging “excessive and unreasonable force” by police officers during the civil unrest over the killing of George Floyd in 2020.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of 343 people, alleged that the officers’ response left protesters with physical injuries that, in some cases, required medical treatment or hospitalization, as well as emotional anguish. The lawsuit was filed by the Legal Defense Fund, the Abolitionist Law Center, and Kairys, Rudovsky, Messing, Feinberg, and Lin LLP. The Legal Defense Fund released a statement explaining that the City also agreed to disengage from the federal 1033 program, which arms state and local law enforcement with military weapons.

Sources

Treasure Welle, "Philadelphia reaches $9.25 million settlement over police misconduct during the 2020 George Floyd protests", CNN, March 21, 2023

Legal Defense Fund, "LDF and Co-Counsel Reach Unprecedented Settlement For Protestors and West Philadelphia Residents Who Suffered Police Violence During 2020 Protests", March 20, 2023

Compensation
$9,250,000.00
2022

The Department of Justice reached a $496,000 settlement in August 2022 with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) after three SEPTA Police Department officers were subjected to a hostile work environment due to racial and religious harassment by their supervisor.

According to the complaint, the officers’ supervisor racially harassed them, physically assaulted them, and retaliated against them for opposing the harassment. They filed charges of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) Philadelphia District Office, which found cause that SEPTA had violated the officers’ Title VII rights. After unsuccessful conciliation efforts, the EEOC referred the charges to the Department of Justice. The consent decree requires SEPTA to implement anti-discrimination policies and provide trainings for its employees, in addition to paying a total of $496,000 in damages to the officers.

Source

"Justice Department Secures Settlement in Race Discrimination and Retaliation Suit Against SEPTA", U.S. Department of Justice, August 01, 2022

Policy changes
Compensation
$496,000.00
2021

The family of Walter Wallace, a Black man killed by Philadelphia police in 2020, has been awarded $2.5 million from the city.

In addition to accepting the settlement funds, Walter Wallace’s family included a list of policy change demands, which were accepted in the legally binding settlement. These demands include that the City of Philadelphia purchase tasers for all patrol officers, that all officers be required to wear tasers while they are in uniform, and that the city provide necessary training to ensure that officers can safely operate tasers.

Source

Ericka Conant, "Walter Wallace Jr.’s family awarded wrongful death settlement from City of Philadelphia", WHYY PBS NPR, October 28, 2021

Policy changes
Compensation
$2,500,000.00
2010 - 2014

Between 2010 and 2014, Philadelphia spent $54.3 million on police misconduct cases.

In 2015, The Wall Street Journal released an analysis of settlement totals from instances of police misconduct among the ten largest local police departments in the nation. Many of the cases involved in the analysis involved alleged beatings, shootings, and wrongful imprisonment. The analysis determined that, between 2010 and 2014, the City of Philadelphia spent $54.3 million on police misconduct cases.

Source

Zusha Elinson and Dan Frosch, "Cost of Police-Misconduct Cases Soars in Big U.S. Cities", Wall Street Journal, July 15, 2015

Compensation
$54,300,000.00