Danielle Outlaw Says Goodbye To Philadelphia
Alex Lloyd Gross Photo-Delaware Valley News.com Danielle Outlaw speaks during a press event for the riots in June 2020,
Being the Police Commissioner of the city of Philadelphia us a temporary job. You serve at the will of the mayor. Most people elected to mayor want to form their own team. So with Mayor Kenney soon to be out of office, Danielle Outlaw took an opportunity that she saw. She is going to the Port Authority in New York and New Jersey. Today is her last day.
Her office put together a video that shows her in different aspects of her job here in Philly. With other officers and with the Philly Phanatic and other highlights of her career here. It certainly was no honeymoon among her critics. Many blame her for not allowing police to do their job. She was seen as hands off on major scenes. Past commissioners were on scene, calling the shots. In some instances, Outlaw was at a remote command post, such as the 2020 riots. Critics did not like the fact that she demoted Deputy Police Commissioner Dennis Wilson for authorizing tear gas on 52nd Street during the riots. She also went through a pandemic shutdown.
Alex Lloyd Gross Photo- Comissioner Danielle Outlaw speaks at a National Night Out press event in 2021.
Outlaw did strive for transparency and sometimes was thwarted by her own department. Recently, Mark Dial claimed he shot a male during a traffic stop because the male lunged at him with a knife. Within 24 hours, Outlaw was in front of the cameras walking back that narrative, when evidence showed that not to be the case at all. She was put in a position that no commander wants to be in. Dial was arrested and charged with murder. He is being held without bail.
Outlaw did not rise through the ranks of the Philadelphia Police Department. She was an outsider who was hired by a mayor that has the same detractors as her. She was blamed for violent crime right along with the mayor and District Attorney.
She had her fans in Philly, particularly in the inner city . They liked the fact that she came into their areas and was open to chat with them about their concerns. She is going to be replaced by Deputy Commissioner John Stanford who will stay on the job until a permanent replacement will be found.