Sheriff Bilal to explain court order and sale delays at press conference

Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal will hold a press conference on Thursday to address a recent court order and her office's plan for independent oversight. The event will focus on corrective actions related to sheriff sale disbursements and the proposed agreement for the review process.

A judge issued the order in August after attorneys for JSB Properties sued the office over delays in processing deeds from auction sales. The firm argued its client could not renovate, rent, or resell properties without finalized deeds. Complaints indicated that deed processing has persisted for years, with some buyers waiting up to a year instead of the typical couple of months.

The court order requires an independent reviewer to examine procedures in Bilal's office. The reviewer will ask questions and make recommendations over a six-month period. When the order was first handed down, Bilal stated her office had already made changes to address the delays. She noted that her team obtained new equipment and updated systems while requesting additional budget items from the city.

"First of all I think we are capable of managing the office. We made all the updates and got equipment. Until the city and my budget, I’ve been asking for stuff since I got in office," Bilal said. She also acknowledged that some issues slipped through the cracks due to manual processes, noting that her staff is human.

This review follows a period of scrutiny for the sheriff's office. Since Bilal took the role in 2020, the office has faced backlash over the use of fake AI-generated headlines on its website. Concerns were also raised after reports of guns missing from the office. The upcoming press conference will be the first major public forum for Bilal to discuss these specific legal and procedural matters since the August ruling.