Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw will step down this month to take a leadership position with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Mayor Jim Kenney said Tuesday.
Outlaw leaves after a bumpy three years on the job that began just before the pandemic lockdowns and was quickly followed by intense protests that broke out in Philadelphia and across the country in the summer of 2020 over the police killing of Black people.
Outlaw, the first Black woman to run the 6,000-member police department, came to Philadelphia from Portland, Oregon, where her handling of protests had raised concerns.
At the port authority, she will be the deputy chief security officer.
Outlaw, whose last day as commissioner is Sept. 22, leaves months before Kenney’s two terms as mayor come to an end. The mayor has named First Deputy John M. Stanford Jr. as interim police commissioner.
“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,” Kenney said. “We wish her success in her new position and thank Commissioner Outlaw for her dedication to serve the residents of Philadelphia.”
