Who is Danielle Outlaw, who is resigning as Philadelphia police commissioner later this month?

On Tuesday, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw announced she is resigning later this month to become a deputy security chief at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, ending her more than three-year run as the city’s top cop. Her imminent departure comes just months before the end of Mayor Jim Kenney’s term and before a new mayor is elected.

Outlaw, who is paid $299,000 a year, has been the Philadelphia police commissioner for three and a half years, overseeing the approximately 6,000-person department. She was the first Black woman to lead the city’s police force and the second woman to take over as commissioner. She was also the youngest person to take on the position in at least 20 years.

Before Mayor Jim Kenney appointed her as the department’s top cop, Outlaw was the police chief in Portland, Ore., where she had led the 877-member department since 2017. Outlaw served as Portland’s police chief after a 20-year career as an officer in her hometown of Oakland, Calif.

Outlaw holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of San Francisco and a master’s degree in business administration from Pepperdine University.

She was recruited to head the Philadelphia department after a series of scandals over allegations of racism, sexism, and sexual harassment — including a lawsuit that effectively led to the resignation of Outlaw’s predecessor, Richard Ross.

As she leaves the job amid the city’s ongoing gun violence epidemic, Outlaw said she believes the department’s dedication to reducing crime led to a decrease in gun violence this year.

The city’s year-to-date homicide tally is 20% lower than last year, police statistics show, although still higher than in recent years.

Outlaw’s tenure was marked by challenges at times.

Just weeks after Outlaw was sworn in as police commissioner, Cpl. James O’Connor IV was fatally shot while serving a warrant in Frankford. Days later, the COVID pandemic shut down much of the city, forcing Outlaw to make decisions on how or when officers approached residents and suspects.

Months later, amid roiling upset after the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, demonstrators marched for several days across the city in protest.

Outlaw and the department were harshly criticized after officers tear-gassed residents and protesters, detained journalists, and appeared unsure about how to handle large, sometimes unruly, crowds. Two officers were later criminally charged with assault, and a review commissioned by the Kenney administration said the Police Department was “simply not prepared” for the situation.

The city went on to spend nearly $10 million to settle a host of lawsuits over the department’s response to the protests.

In the summer of 2020, the city’s gun violence epidemic surged and reached record levels.

By the end of 2022, nearly 1,600 people had been killed in homicides over the previous three years, and another 5,400 people had been wounded in shootings, according to department data. The annual pace of gunfire was the highest in at least six decades.

Adding to the difficulty, police staffing levels plummeted, with the department short hundreds of officers from its target staffing level.

Additionally, hundreds of officers still on the books were out on injury claims — about 14% of all patrol cops at one point, an Inquirer investigation found.

Most recently, Outlaw and the department have drawn criticism for the case in which an officer fatally shot 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry in his car in Kensington.

Police initially provided an inaccurate account of what happened, forcing Outlaw to walk back the details a police spokesperson had provided. She later moved to dismiss the officer who shot and killed Irizarry, Mark Dial, for insubordination for failing to cooperate with the police investigation into the incident.

Outlaw is resigning to take a position as deputy security chief at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Outlaw said her resignation was voluntary, but it comes just months before Kenney is set to leave office and a new mayor is to be sworn in.

Outlaw said in an interview that resigning now gives “whomever the new mayor is the opportunity to select their commissioner.”

On Tuesday, Outlaw announced that First Deputy Police Commissioner John Stanford will serve as the department’s interim commissioner upon her departure.

Stanford, the department’s second-in-command, is a two-decade veteran who has overseen Internal Affairs, led a West Philadelphia district, and served as a department spokesperson.