PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Police Department is pushing to hire a new crop of officers and civilian employees amid a deep staffing shortage. Leaders say they are even open to recruits who are critical of the police. In a recent interview with KYW Newsradio, Commissioner Danielle Outlaw spoke candidly about her own journey from skeptic to top cop.
Outlaw, a native of Oakland, California, says that she didn't always have a positive outlook on policing.
“I really didn't grow up looking up to the police and waving as they drove by,” Outlaw said. “My recollection as a young person was interactions with the police, and that they came into our home and my family's home and took away someone that I loved. And so it really took some time to build bridges.”
She said her views started to change in high school during a two-week career exploration with the Oakland Police Department.
“And at the end of those two weeks, I realized that cops are people too,” she said. “A lot of the things that I enjoyed, you know, just as a human being, so did this cop that I rode with for two weeks — whether it was restaurants, or all the things that made Oakland Oakland, historically, and all the things that we were proud of as Oaklanders, we share that in common.
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She describes policing as a calling. And years later, she found herself stepping forward into a career that answered that calling — as well another, transitioning into motherhood around the same time.
“I realized that I needed to do something to take care of what would be my newborn son. And I thought that I was going to go through school and get my doctorate. And I thought I was going to become a social psychologist. But again, life happened. And the police department reminded me that — hey, we're here — you can test to become a police officer,” she said.
“And quite frankly, that's what I did. My son was still very much a newborn. And I was still in stitches. I took the physical agility test. And you know, the rest has been history.
Anyone with a gripe about policing: 'Come and change it from within'
Outlaw said the Philadelphia Police Department is recruiting to help fill some of the more than 800 vacancies in the force.
“Our authorized strength has decreased over the last three years that I've been here, but the vacancies continue to grow as people retire and move on to other things,” the commissioner said.
Filling those vacancies has been a challenge for the Police Department — as it has been for departments across the nation. Over the weekend, city officials hosted a public safety job fair, hoping to attract future cops as well as future crime analysts, intelligence analysts, as well.
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“There's a lot of technology out there now that allows us to address and prevent crimes in different ways. And that's what a lot of the civilian hiring is,” she said.
“But then also recognizing that we need more officers out there on the street. And the more positions or the more civilians that we hire, the more we're able to have more police officers on the street answering calls for service or 911.”
So, officials are hoping for a number of people from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to also feel that call to protect and serve — and answer it.
“We want to represent the community that we serve,” Outlaw said. “I would encourage anyone who … has a gripe with how policing is done, in general: Come and change it from within. I mean, that's what drew me in. But then, also, it's a part of giving back.”
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But amid a growing national shortage of officers, and record-setting levels of gun violence, and after three police officers in the region have been shot in the last five weeks — one fatally — one could ask: Why would anyone want to?
“There is some danger to it. And you're not working traditional hours,” Outlaw acknowledged. “But every day is something new. Every day is something different. You get to meet so many different people. And you really are truly intrinsically giving back in a different way that you're not going to get in any other job."
The city is hiring throughout March in several positions. More details on the Philadelphia Police Department website.
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