In what'll likely come as a welcome relief to the city of Philadelphia, its police commissioner Danielle Outlaw - who has overseen years of surging crime, property destruction and violent attacks in the Northeast city - has had enough and is stepping down.
She's leaving her role in Philadelphia for "a new job with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey", according to Fox News.
After overseeing a massive crime wave in Philadelphia, Mayor Jim Kenney praised her work in the city, focusing not on the merits of her work (of which there are few), but her "reform" of "racism and gender discrimination", stating: "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."
And why not focus on the merits of her work? Fox News broke it down:
Crime data from the Philadelphia Police Department shows there has been a 21% drop in homicides this year to date compared to the same day in 2021, when the city recorded 562 homicides throughout the year.
But prior to Outlaw leading the department, the data shows Philadelphia annually recorded between 246 to 391 homicides each year between 2007 and 2019.
In 2020, when she took over, there were 499 homicides, followed by 562 in 2021 and 516 in 2022.
Her last day will be September 22, and she will then become Deputy Chief Security Officer at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Outlaw, formerly the police chief of Portland during a time of "mass political protests", was appointed to lead Philadelphia's police at just 43 years old by Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney. “While I am new to Philadelphia, I am not new to the challenges of big-city, 21st century policing," she said upon her appointment.
“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,” Kenney had said at the time.
He continued: “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 color — within the Department. Commissioner Outlaw will implement reforms with urgency, so that racial, ethnic, and gender discrimination are not tolerated.”
It doesn't seem like any public officials are actually interested in their jobs in Philadelphia - perhaps, rather, just collecting their pensions. Recall in 2022 we wrote when Mayor Kenney said he was "looking forward to the time he will no longer lead the city".
When being interviewed by Fox 29's Chris O'Connell, Kenney let it slip that he's looking forward to no longer being mayor: "Everything we have in the city, over the last seven years, I worry about. I don't enjoy the Fourth of July, I don't enjoy the Democratic National Convention, I didn't enjoy the NFL Draft. I'm waiting for something bad to happen all the time. I'll be happy when I'm not here - when I'm not mayor and I can enjoy some stuff."
Two peas in a productivity pod...
