Philly Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw shakes up top police brass with a reassignment and three key promotions
Commissioner Danielle Outlaw filled a second-in-command position that had been vacant since January 2021.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw has promoted three high-ranking officers to her inner circle of deputy commissioners and reassigned a key deputy in the most significant shake-up to the top police brass since she joined the department nearly three years ago.
In a departmental memo sent Friday and obtained by The Inquirer, Outlaw announced the appointment of Inspector John Stanford as first deputy police commissioner, the department’s second-in-command, a position vacant since former Deputy Commissioner Melvin Singleton retired amid health problems in January 2021.
Outlaw also deputized Chief Inspector Frank Vanore and Capt. Krista Dahl-Campbell while keeping active Deputy Commissioners Joel Dales and Robin Wimberly in their posts, according to the memo.
» READ MORE: Philly Police have 72 new officers. They’ll start amid a shortage of more than 500.
Two of the promotions serve to fill posts left vacant by the retirement of Deputy Commissioner Ben Naish, who recently underwent surgery, and the more unexpected reassignment of Deputy Police Commissioner Christine M. Coulter.
It remains unclear whether Coulter — who as acting police commissioner in 2019 became the first woman appointed top cop — voluntarily stepped down or was asked to step down as a deputy commissioner, or where she will be reassigned. Coulter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
After Fox 29 reported a week ago Thursday that she had abruptly resigned after a dispute with Outlaw, Coulter later that day told The Inquirer the news account was wrong.
“There was no fight,” Coulter said. “I’m [still] a deputy today.”
» READ MORE: More than 650 Philly cops say they’re too hurt to work. But some are holding down second jobs.
Mayor Jim Kenney appointed Coulter acting commissioner in August 2019 in the wake of a high-profile sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit that led to the resignation of Police Commissioner Richard Ross. Coulter, a 33-year veteran of the department, served in the acting role until Outlaw took over in February 2020. Coulter became Outlaw’s top deputy, overseeing organizational services.
Coulter’s six-month stint as top cop came during a period of acute turmoil for the department, as it contended with Ross’ departure, a rising tide of gun violence, and backlash over racist and vitriolic social media posts made by hundreds of officers.
Her past came into the spotlight after a decades-old picture surfaced of her as a young police officer wearing a T-shirt that appeared to make light of the 1991 police beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles, and she faced calls to resign.
Coulter previously served as an inspector overseeing the department’s traffic and central divisions, a police captain of the 16th District in West Philadelphia, and a lieutenant in the Narcotics unit.
In the memo, Outlaw thanked Coulter “for her leadership and tenure on the Executive Team” and said “her 33 years within the PPD is a testament to her dedication as a public servant.”
» READ MORE: Christine Coulter, Philly’s new acting police commissioner, is the first woman to hold the position
According to police officials, the police commissioner can appoint any sworn officer regardless of rank as a deputy, though typically those promotions have been given to officers who have achieved the rank of inspector or higher.
Dahl-Campbell, a 17-year veteran of the force who leads the Police Athletic League, will assume Coulter’s role overseeing the department’s organizational services. She is the only deputy being promoted from the captain level, but commissioners have done that in the past.
Dahl-Campbell’s appointment raised questions within the department over whether her Montgomery County residence would violate the city residency requirement for deputies, though the city lifted that mandate in April in response to broader governmental staffing shortages.
The Managing Director’s Office, which must sign off on the commissioner’s appointments, did not immediately return a request for comment Friday.
As a deputy, Vanore, a longtime homicide inspector, will take over Naish’s role overseeing investigative services for the department. Wimberly and Dales will remain in their current assignments overseeing professional standards and patrol operations, respectively.