Leslie Marant was the first diversity inclusion and equity officer at the Philadelphia Police Department. She was fired Jan. 3 by outgoing Commissioner John M. Stanford as part of a restructuring plan.Philadelphia PD
The Philadelphia Police Department’s first diversity, equity, and inclusion officer was fired Tuesday morning, shortly before the swearing-in of Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel and Mayor Cherelle Parker, police said.
Leslie Marant, who began her job in April 2022, was fired by then-acting Commissioner John M. Stanford at a 10:30 a.m. meeting, who said that Bethel would be restructuring the department and would no longer need her services, a source with knowledge of the dismissal told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The Police Department declined to give the specific reasons for the job termination or to make Bethel and Stanford available to speak, citing department policy to not comment on personnel matters.
“Under new leadership, restructuring and realignment of an organization is common,” a department spokesperson, Sgt. Eric Gripp, said in a statement. “We want to express our sincere gratitude to Ms. Marant for her dedicated work and professionalism during her time with the PPD.”
The DEI office will continue and remain active under Bethel’s administration, Gripp said, adding that the department would announce an interim director shortly. A national search for a permanent replacement for Marant’s post will be conducted, he said.
