Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw is resigning, officials announced on Tuesday. Outlaw will be leaving in a few weeks to take a new job. During her time in Philly she has faced a number of challenges. NBC10’s Cydney Long spoke with residents and anti-violence groups for their reactions.
What to Know
- Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw is set to resign after nearly four years atop the city's police force.
- Outlaw was the first Black woman to lead Philadelphia's police force.
- She is leaving to become the Deputy Chief Security Officer for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Her last day will be Sept. 22.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw is set to leave the police force (and the city) behind before the end of the month, city officials announced on Tuesday morning.
Before 10 a.m. Mayor Jim Kenney, in a statement, announced that Outlaw had accepted "a new leadership position with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey as Deputy Chief Security Officer."
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Kenney appointed First Deputy Commissioner John M. Stanford, Jr. as Interim Police Commissioner.
The mayor said that Outlaw's last day as police commissioner would be Sept. 22. She had submitted her letter of resignation on Aug. 25, more than a week before the announcement was made.
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As noted in a statement from Kenney, Outlaw had been the commissioner for three-and-a-half years.
She became commissioner in February of 2020 and was the first Black woman to lead the city's police force.
Prior to coming to Philadelphia, she was also the first Black woman to lead the Portland, Oregon, police department, a statement noted.
“Commissioner Outlaw has worked relentlessly for three and a half years during an unprecedented era in our city and a number of crisis situations, and she deserves praise for her commitment to bring long-overdue reform to the Department after years of racism and gender discrimination prior to her appointment,” said Mayor Jim Kenney in a statement. “We wish her success in her new position and thank Commissioner Outlaw for her dedication to serve the residents of Philadelphia.”
Outlaw, in a statement, said she commended the "hard work, resilience, and professionalism of our force."
“It has been my honor and privilege to serve during Mayor Kenney’s administration and alongside each member of the Philadelphia Police Department,” said Commissioner Danielle Outlaw. “The hard work, resilience, and professionalism of our force is truly commendable. Our team has shown incredible adaptability and has worked tirelessly to maintain our pillars of organizational excellence, crime prevention and reduction, and community engagement and inclusion even in the face of adversity. My staff’s teamwork, innovative thinking, and determination have kept the Department moving forward, and for that, I am extremely grateful.”
In a statement on Outlaw's tenure, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said that he wished her well in her next role.
"Incidents of gun violence and other violent crime continue to decrease since the pandemic peak, thankfully, and it is critical that the City of Philadelphia seize this moment to get ahead of violent crime by investing robustly in prevention, and modern enforcement with a state-of-the-art forensics lab and other innovations," Krasner said in a statement. "As city leadership transitions to a new mayoral administration, we must also recommit to integrity, transparency, and accountability within the Philadelphia Police Department and all law enforcement, including the DAO. Earning the trust of the public is critical to securing safety and peace in all communities.”
Outlaw's resignation comes at a time in which she may have been facing replacement.
The mayor of Philadelphia is able to appoint a police commissioner.
Whoever wins the upcoming election between Democrat Cherelle Parker and Republican David Oh would likely name their own choice for police commissioner once they enter office anyway.
Parker released a statement Tuesday, saying Outlaw needed to handle a "tornado of black swan events" during her time in Philadelphia.
“Much like being the Mayor of Philadelphia, Police Commissioners are in a class of their own. And as it relates to our great city, there is no police commissioner who has ever dealt with the tornado of black swan events that Commissioner Outlaw was forced to reckon with during her tenure," said Parker in a statement. “While there will be many Monday morning quarterbacks second guessing her performance and decision-making, I have nothing but a great deal of respect and admiration for the job that she has done for our city. We should remember her name because I know we will be hearing about her distinguished work in whatever capacity she chooses in the future – that is one thing I know for sure.”
Shortly after Outlaw began her career in Philadelphia, she was tasked with managing the police response to the protests following the killing of George Floyd in 2020, during which rubber bullets and tear gas were deployed.
Philadelphia ended up being forced to pay more than $9 million to hundreds of individuals for, what they called the Philadelphia Police Department’s "excessive, militaristic use of force during peaceful protests."
More recently, the police department has been under some degree of scrutiny for its botched handling of at least two high profile cases -- the police killing of 27-year-old Eddie Jose Irizarry and the misdirected response to a murder that proceeded a mass shooting in the city's Kingsessing neighborhood.
Mayor Kenney, Gov. Shapiro and FOP react
“I’m looking at all the things – and sometimes it’s hard to remember because sometimes the press doesn’t recall it – what we’ve actually went through," Kenney said. “She came here in I guess March. Two weeks before the pandemic exploded. The civil unrest after George Floyd’s murder and then Walter Wallace’s death. Four years of Donald Trump, I’ll say it. It was hard. Yeah, I think she did a tremendous job.”
Kenney also answered whether or not he believes Outlaw received a "fair shake" in Philadelphia.
“Fair is a difficult word. I think any time -- and I’m going to say this the right way -- any time a woman comes into a position that was generally held or always held by men, there’s a different standard that women are held to. I don’t think that’s fair. But I think she lived up to that standard with shining colors," Kenney said.
“I think it’s a loss for the city of Philadelphia but I’m so happy for Commissioner Outlaw,” Shapiro said. "The commissioner’s been a straight shooter. She was a partner on so many investigations that I oversaw as Attorney General. She helped us make big drug busts and stop gun traffickers in the community and she helped make our streets safer. It doesn’t mean that we don’t have issues of violence in our neighborhoods that need to be addressed and we’re going to continue to work at that.”
Fraternal Order of Police President John McNesby reacted to Outlaw's resignation as well.
“It was kind of surprising but I think it’s a good move," he said. "I think it’s a shot in the arm to the officers on the street. We’re understaffed. They’re overworked. We’re about 1500 positions short. And it’s a safety issue for the police. It’s a safety issue for the community.”
McNesby also answered whether or not he believes Outlaw was to blame for the department's current issues.
“I mean eventually she gets the blame. She’s the top dog," McNesby said.
McNesby also told NBC10 he hopes the next commissioner will be an internal hire.
“I’m hoping that the next mayor will move to promote – if it’s not going to be John Stanford – from somebody within the ranks," he said. "We’ve invested a lot of time, a lot of resources into our command staff. And if you can’t pick a commissioner out of the hundred and some odd commanders that we have here, then we haven’t done our job in Philadelphia.”
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