Danielle Outlaw: Philadelphia appoints first black female police commissioner
‘We hope that she succeeds because if she doesn’t, it’s going to be our lives that are at stake,’ says campaigner
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Your support makes all the difference.Danielle Outlaw has pledged to work to tackle “insidious gun violence” after being announced as the first female black police commissioner in Philadelphia.
Ms Outlaw was in the Oakland Police Department in California for nearly 20 years but recently served as the police chief in the US city of Portland for around two years.
The murder rate in Portland decreased under Ms Outlaw’s watch but the city has far lower homicide levels than Philadelphia. While there were more than 350 homicides in Philadelphia in 2018, there were 33 in Portland in 2018.
Philadelphia’s police force has been plagued by scandals in the past year – including a sexual harassment lawsuit which prompted ex-Commissioner Richard Ross to resign.
Ms Outlaw made her first public appearance since her new role was announced in Philadelphia City Hall on Monday.
Pressed about how she believes the policing of substance abuse should be dealt with, she said: “I do not believe that first responders should be the ones dealing with these issues because they are not crimes”.
The officer argued police strategy needs to be made in conjunction “with community” rather than “imposing” it on the community.
Ms Outlaw said: “I will work relentlessly to reduce crime, in particular, the insidious gun violence that plagues too many of our communities”.
She added: “I do not take lightly that I am a first here. I understand what I represent, I understand who opened the doors for me and I understand it’s my obligation to hold the doors open behind me to ensure that we’re not in 2020 still talking about firsts”.
Solomon Jones, of the Rally For Justice Coalition, hailed the “new beginning” Ms Outlaw signifies in a statement.
He said: “We welcome Danielle Outlaw as the new police commissioner and we are excited for the new beginning she represents. We encourage Commissioner Outlaw to get to know Philadelphia’s leaders and community-based organisations, especially those that represent black and brown people.”
Mr Jones added: “We hope that she succeeds because if she doesn’t, it’s going to be our lives that are at stake”.
Ms Outlaw became the second female deputy chief before later becoming the first black woman to be the chief of Portland’s police force in October 2017.
She led Portland’s force in a period of major political demonstrations and suspicion and distrust of police among the community.
Philadelphia’s mayor Jim Kenney said: “I am appointing Danielle Outlaw because I am convinced she has the conviction, courage, and compassion needed to bring long-overdue reform to the department.
“With our support, she will tackle a host of difficult issues, from racism and gender discrimination, to horrid instances of sexual assault on fellow officers. These are issues that too often negatively impact women – especially women of colour – within the department. Commissioner Outlaw will implement reforms with urgency, so that racial, ethnic, and gender discrimination are not tolerated.”
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