EXCLUSIVE: Philadelphia Police Commissioner Outlaw Responds To Former Mayor's 'Failure Of Leadership' Comment Following Walter Wallace Jr. Shooting
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Former Philadelphia Mayor John Street offered blistering criticism of current Mayor Jim Kenney and Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw in regard to the unrest in the city following the police shooting of Walter Wallace Jr.
CBS3's Ukee Washington spoke exclusively with Commissioner Outlaw about the recent tragic events and the comments from Street.
"This is a failure of leadership. We take nine months to train someone to be a member of the Philadelphia Police Department. We spend tens of thousands of dollars. It is inexcusable for those police officers to be there without the proper equipment. The only person that you can hold responsible is the leadership of the city. That situation should of never have happened," Street said.
"I do know that there has been a line item in our annual budget for $900,000 for tasers. That has been approved. No one has said no, we're not going to give you this money. Did there need to be some rethinking in how we deploy the tasers or the amount of tasers that we were purchasing? Maybe, but to say it's a failure of leadership I think not only is it unfair, but I think it's really easy to sit back and Monday morning quarterback," Outlaw said.
Washington: "Bodycam footage of the shooting will be released soon. Do you think in any way it will change the public perception of what happened and why it happened or is there a chance this could put some fuel on the fire?"
Outlaw: "We're dealing with raw emotion. The video that was shown on the day of the incident I think is pretty clear. We're not releasing the body-worn camera footage to try and change hearts and minds, we're doing it in the spirit of transparency to show we're not hiding anything."
Commissioner Outlaw had a closing message when it comes to hope and overall concern.
Outlaw: "I can't stress enough that we're not picking and choosing or cherry-picking neighborhoods as a slight to any one particular area, and I have a concern that some residents may feel that way. But I need them to know that wholeheartedly not only is that not our intention, but it's just not true."
Watch the video for Ukee Washington's full interview with Commissioner Outlaw and former Mayor Street.
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