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Philly Today: Danielle Outlaw Resigns from Philadelphia Police Department

Plus, yes, Virginia, there will be a new Eagles Christmas album.

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Danielle Outlaw, who just resigned as Philadelphia Police Commissioner, with Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney

Danielle Outlaw, who just resigned as Philadelphia police commissioner, with Jim Kenney (Getty Images)

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Danielle Outlaw Resigns from Philadelphia Police Department

Some long-expected but still big news came to us on Tuesday morning: Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw is leaving Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney announced that Outlaw has accepted the position of deputy chief security officer with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Not exactly an unexciting job. Taking over for Outlaw, at least temporarily, is First Deputy John Stanford.

From a City of Philadelphia press release:

Outlaw has been PPD’s Commissioner for three and a half years; she stepped into her role on February 10, 2020, as the City’s first Black woman to lead the Philadelphia Police Department. When appointed, Outlaw was also one of few Black female leaders of major city police departments in the country. Prior to coming to Philadelphia, she was also the first Black woman to lead the Portland, Oregon Police Department.

Plus, some hyper-sanitized quotes from Kenney:

As weak gun laws in Pennsylvania continue to allow illegal and legal guns to infiltrate our city, the Commissioner and her team have stayed focused on new approaches to manage the gun violence crisis. During the Commissioner’s time as leader, a record number of guns have been recovered, clearance rates have improved, and non-fatal shootings and homicides have decreased at a rate double the rate of some of the other major U.S. cities that have also seen decreases. Even with these successes, we continue to face the challenge of more guns on the streets than ever – but we’ve been able to decrease shootings and homicides, and I give the Commissioner and her team credit for making that happen.

Some hyper-sanitized quotes from Outlaw:

It has been my honor and privilege to serve during Mayor Kenney’s administration and alongside each member of the Philadelphia Police Department. The hard work, resilience, and professionalism of our force is truly commendable. Our team has shown incredible adaptability and has worked tirelessly to maintain our pillars of organizational excellence, crime prevention and reduction, and community engagement and inclusion even in the face of adversity. My staff’s teamwork, innovative thinking, and determination have kept the Department moving forward, and for that, I am extremely grateful.

Throughout my tenure, I have persistently strived to ensure that we excel in areas where the needs of the Department and the community are not just met – but are exceeded. To meet specific goals, the Crime Prevention and Violence Reduction Action Plan was developed and shared with the public within the first three months after I was appointed, even as the pandemic was escalating into crisis mode. I am extremely proud of the PPD team. We have made significant progress in all three of the Plan’s organizational pillars – Organizational Excellence, Crime Prevention and Violence Reduction, and Community Engagement and Inclusion. Under this plan, we have seen crime reductions, improved clearance rates, a reduction in complaints against police, new employee and wellness initiatives; to include the development of an employee intervention system, improved diversity in hiring and promotions, better internal and external communications, and so much more. I know progress will continue under this plan since it’s working.

There is, of course, a lot Kenney and Outlaw aren’t mentioning. For more context on Outlaw’s controversial tenure here, Chris Brennan at the Inquirer delves deep. For more on the soon-to-be former commish, read Philly Mag’s 2022 feature: “The Complicated Mystery That Is Danielle Outlaw.”  A complicated mystery, indeed.

Remember that Eagles Christmas Album?

There’s going to be another! No word on whether they’ll get around to “Dominick the Donkey.” One can only hope. For more on the Eagles Christmas album(s), read our our interview with the West Philly woman who taught Jason Kelce and the other Eagles players how to sing.

About Your Property Assessment Appeal

Remember how the city reassessed all properties, resulting in steep hikes in property assessments (and therefore taxes) for a boatload of Philadelphians? Well, as was expected, many Philadelphia homeowners appealed those assessments. But the appeal process isn’t over. Far from it. As WHYY reveals in this new report, officials still have to review more than 8,000 assessments.

About that Escaped Convict

No, they still haven’t found him. And schools in the area are closed as a result.

Travel & Leisure Weighs in on the Italian Market

We all know that the Italian Market is a great destination for any visitor to Philadelphia. But now Travel & Leisure readers know this, too. The publication just named the Italian Market one of the “Five Best Little Italy Neighborhoods in the US.” But we wish they could have dug a little deeper than this:

Make your way to Di Bruno Bros. for a classic Italian-American marketplace with an impressive array of high-quality meats, cheeses, and imported specialty foods. Grab a piping-hot, delicious pizza at Angelo’s Pizzeria, and stop by the landmark Sarcone’s Bakery to pick up some bread before meandering the family-owned shops lining Ninth Street for the full Italian Market experience.

Not exactly off-the-radar picks.

Local Talent

Last week, I told you about the rush to get tickets to see Pride of Berks County Taylor Swift in her new concert movie, which opens in October. And now here comes the New Yorker with a pretty fascinating read about the music of Taylor Swift from an audience you might not expect: a person in prison. “Her music makes me feel like I’m still part of the world I left behind,” writes inmate Joe Garcia.

By the Numbers: The Heat Wave Edition

0: Days of the workweek that won’t see highs in the 90s in Philadelphia.

70: Approximate number of Philly schools set to dismiss early Tuesday and Wednesday due to the heat. No word yet on the schedules for Thursday or Friday which, again, will see temps in the 90s.

4: City pools that officials decided to leave open after Labor Day due to the aforementioned heat. Those pools are the Tustin pool, the Shuler pool, and the pools at the MLK and Samuel rec centers.

And from the Not-No-Sweep Sports Desk …

Kyle Schwarber started his night in Milwaukee on Friday right, with a leadoff homer in the first off Freddy Peralta. That was it through the fourth, when Willy Adames smacked a three-run homer off starter Zack Wheeler. Hoby Milner replaced Peralta and Gregory Soto came in Wheeler in the seventh, but it seemed nothing was budging the score. What happened to our Comeback Kids?

Well, in the eighth, Alec Bohm walked, J.T. Realmuto singled, Marsh singled Bohm home, and Trea Turner whaled one over the fence: 5-3 Phils! That’s more like it. Jose Alvarado took the mound in the bottom half and loaded the bases, then walked in a run. Bring on Jeff Hoffman, with one out. And Bohm muffed a hit up the third-base line, and the Brewers scored three runs for a 7-5 win. Damn.

And in the second game, on Saturday? Schwarbs led off again with a homer, this time off Colin Rea. Good sign, or bad sign? Ask Aaron Nola; he started by striking out the side. And guess who hit a moon shot in the second? J.T.! The Brewers tied it on a long fly over Schwarbs’s head and went up 3-2 on a double. Carlos Santana took Nola deep with one on in the fifth to make it 5-2, and they got one more on a single and a double. That was it for Nola and the start of Andrew Bellatti, who gave up a single that scored another run.

Trea Turner tried to salvage things with a homer to start the sixth, and Alec Bohm cracked a double in the seventh but got no help. Seranthony came in for the bottom of the seventh and — whoa! — got three straight strikeouts. Schwarber walked off Hoby Milner to start the eighth, Bryce Harper reached second on an error, and a sac fly by Castellanos off new reliever Elvis Peguero made it 7-4.

Dylan Covey took over in the bottom half and held the line. In the ninth, up against Devin Wiliams, the Phils got something going and actually scored one more run. Then, with two men on, it all came down to Trea … and he struck out. Second straight 7-5 loss. At least they kept it a game.

Sunday afternoon, Wade Miley, who’s a wild-looking guy, started for the Brewers; we had Ranger Suárez going, and he gave up a homer to the second batter, William Contreras. In the third, Mark Canha knocked a leadoff homer off Ranger, too, and he loaded the bases with two walks and a single before rallying for a final strikeout. He came out for Jeff Hoffman for the fifth. Meanwhile, Miley made it through five innings without allowing a hit.

In the sixth, though, a Schwarber walk, a Turner single and a Castellanos double got us on the board, and in the seventh, Bohm and Realmuto hit homers for a 3-2 lead.

Miley then walked Cristian Pache and got yanked for Abner Uribe. Edmundo Sosa got to first on a fielder’s choice, Schwarbs walked, and Turner singled Sosa home to make it 4-2. It was Matt Strahm in to pitch the bottom half, and he walked two guys, then notched a fly out, a strikeout, and a pop fly to first that Alec Bohm damn near missed.

The Brewers brought in Bryse Wilson for the ninth, and he gave up a double to pinch-hitting Brandon Marsh and a walk to Schwarbs, who came out for speedster Rojas, who promptly stole second. With two outs, Castellanos struck out. Would it be comeback time for the Brewers? In came Kimbrel, for a strikeout, a bloop single, a caught pop foul, and … a strikeout. To Carlos Santana. No sweep. Phew.

In Labor Day’s start to a three-game series in San Diego, in the first, the Phils got walks to Schwarber and Harper, a single by Turner, and a Bohm double off uber-vet Rich Hill to jump out to a 3-0 lead in the first. Fernando Tatis Jr. blasted a homer off Taijuan Walker in the bottom half, but Sosa got it back for the Phils with a homer in the second. Schwarbs then singled, and Turner homered — it was raining homers! — for the 6-1 lead. A Stott single and a Pache triple in the third added another, as did a Sosa double. Damn, you guys! Up 8-1 in the third?!?

The Padres got three runs in the fourth, but Schwarbs whacked a homer in the fifth to bring it to 9-4. Bellatti came in for Walker in the sixth and allowed three straight singles that scored one, and in the seventh, Soto gave up a walk and a double, then a long sac fly that scored one and a double for another: 9-7. Was it me, or was it getting hot in heeerre? Hoffman came in to finish the inning and did. For the eighth, it was Kimbrel, and he issued two straight walks with one out. Goddamn. And a double steal. Then a strikeout and a ground-out. Okay.

Schwarbs walked to start the ninth, and Rojas came in again to run for him, but he was stranded there. That brought Alvarado on, and he walked the first two batters, then got a ground-out and two strikeouts.

Thank God. Makin’ it look hard, Phils. That’s a wrap. They have two more against the Padres in San Diego, tonight at 9:40 and Wednesday at 4:10.

And in College Football …

Temple kicked off its season with a nice come-from-behind win against Akron at home in the Linc, 24-21. Under second-year head coach Stan Drayton and sophomore QB E.J. Warner (son of Kurt), they scored 17 unanswered points in the second half.

Villanova murdered Lehigh, 38-10, and if you care about Penn State, they crushed West Virginia, 38-15.

And in Doop News …

The Union were short two Venezuelan hotheads, José Martínez and Jesús Bueno, for Sunday night’s match against the Red Bulls because they both picked up cards in the final minutes of Wednesday’s 3-1 loss in Toronto. The Bulls hadn’t won at Subaru Park in 11 matches as of kickoff but were coming off a 4-1 beatdown of Chicago. Their captain, Dylan Nealis, picked up a yellow five minutes in, but they struck first, in the 10th minute, a lucky hit by Omir Fernandez off his own rebound.

The Bulls’ Andrés Reyes got hit with a yellow in the 24th, and Jakob Glesnes evened it up off a Wagner corner in the 28th. Damion Lowe was hit with a yellow eight minutes later; Nealis got a second in the 43rd, and just like that, the Union were up a man. (The Bulls manager got one on the sideline, too.) Five minutes stoppage — and Julián Carranza scored almost at the whistle, but after a review, the ref ruled he’d been offsides. Damn.

After the break, the announcers told us Jack McGlynn had been hit with a yellow card in the first half. Surprise! The Bulls almost scored, but a great move by Glesnes deflected it out. Never fear; Damion Lowe scored on a gorgeous header off a free kick by Kai Wagner in the 56th, and that one didn’t get waved off. And another by Carranza a minute later, again off a Wagner pass!

Dániel Gazdag scored on a breakaway in the 75th, then collapsed to the field but soon got up. Homegrown newbie Jeremy Rafenello, who’s from Delran, came in for him. Argh — Union captain Alejandro Bedoya was yellow-carded and will miss the next match. Final whistle: a 4-1 Union win. Doop!

All Philly Today sports coverage is provided by Sandy Hingston.

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