Nice visualization but HOLY CRAP is that normal for the police department suck up so much of a city's budget?
When you stop and think about it, there is a near-constant state of emergency, and this no doubt applies to any major American metropolitan area. I'm not at all surprised that the police department has such a huge budget here.
It's easy to lose context of just how massive a part of PA Philadelphia is. The city proper alone has more than 10% of the state's population (1.5MM to PA's ~12.7). Add in the other PA counties and you're close to 4. Add in the out-of-state parts of the Metropolitan area and you're quickly closing in on 6.
I've always felt safe when I've been there but given the sheer volume of people, I'd surprised they're not spending a larger amount of police forces.
Fire and public safety, and their corresponding pensions, make up the bulk (like often >50%) of all municipal expenditures.
Every day Philadelphia has about: 1 murder, 2 rapes, 25 robberies, 25 assaults, 35 burglaries, 110 thefts, and 20 stolen cars.
The active police + prison budget seems to be about $850 million. That's about $570 per person to keep 1.5 million people safe in one of the poorest major cities in the country.
It is not the public someone who wants to run on that platform has to fear