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She’s devised a plan to get there during just four months on the job, while also managing the COVID-19 shutdown and civil unrest.
Steps include setting a schedule for revising department policies; reviewing staffing with an eye to “civilianizing” the department; and creating a system to prevent officer misconduct by identifying troublesome officers early.
But she had a warning.
“An early intervention system is key but it is not cheap. Reform is not cheap,” Outlaw said.
While she committed to reform, she refused to rule out the use of stop and frisk to fight crime or the use of rubber bullets and tear gas for crowd control.
“I don’t believe in throwing the baby out with the bathwater. I do believe we need to have intermediary tools available to us,” she said.
Outlaw also established crime-fighting goals, including reducing homicides in the most violent areas by 25% and increasing the closure rate to 65%, though she admitted homicide detectives lack resources, such as department-issued cell phones, for solving cases.