Philadelphia has waived a rule that required new police and correctional officers to live in the city for at least a year, Mayor Jim Kenney announced Thursday. 

In June 2020, city council passed legislation that mandated Philadelphia only hire people – including aspiring police officers – who have lived in the city for at least one year prior to the job appointment.

The rule was one of several police reform bills that the council approved in the wake of the George Floyd protests that year. While the legislation passed in a 16 to 1 vote, Mayor Kenney at the time expressed reservations with the bill, believing that limiting the applicant pool to only city residents would negatively impact recruitment of top talent and diversity in the police department and other city offices, NBC Philadelphia reports. 

Kenney reiterated his disapproval of the bill last week when he stated it was hurting law enforcement.

“It’s basically like saying you can only play for the Phillies if you grew up in Philadelphia,” Kenney said.