PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Police Department doesn’t conduct formal evaluations of its main patrol and crime-fighting strategy, creating an inconsistent patchwork of officer deployment across the city as it’s in the midst of a persistent gun violence crisis. And the department, which has been plagued for more than a year by severe understaffing, doesn’t know how many positions it needs to meet its public safety goals. That’s according to City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart, whose office on Tuesday released a long-awaited audit of the Police Department and its nearly $800 million budget. The …
