Page 4 - AHATA

A5
U.S. NEWS Monday 10 February 2020
New Philadelphia police chief

starts amid surge in homicides

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Outlaw will be the first black city and listening to the
new commissioner of the woman to hold the position concern of citizens and of-
nation's fourth-largest city in Philadelphia. ficers. He said he has high
police force will start work Since Kenney announced expectations that Outlaw
Monday amid a surge in her appointment at the will "usher in a new and bet-
homicides and calls for ac- end of December, Phila- ter era for our city."
tion to address ongoing delphia has had a spate "I appointed Commissioner
allegations of racism and of homicides — 39 in fewer Outlaw because she has
gender discrimination. than 40 days. That follows the conviction, courage,
Danielle Outlaw, the former the deadliest year for Phila- and compassion needed In this Aug. 5, 2019, file photo, Portland Police Chief Danielle
police chief of Portland, Or- delphia in more than a de- to bring long-overdue re- Outlaw poses for a photo in Portland, Ore.
egon, was chosen by Phila- cade, with 355 homicides form to the Department," Associated Press
delphia Mayor Jim Kenney reported last year. he wrote in a statement.
from a pool of more than Kenney said Friday that he "With our support, she will do what we do in law en- of ignoring complaints that
30 candidates to take the expects that Outlaw will tackle a host of difficult is- forcement," she said. female officers were being
helm of the 6,500-officer begin by becoming famil- sues like racism and gender Prior to becoming the first sexually harassed by col-
force. iar with the culture of the discrimination, while lead- black female chief in Port- leagues and supervisors
ing our administration's top land about two years ago, and making it difficult for
priority of reducing the gun Outlaw spent nearly 20 them to keep nursing when
violence that plagues our years with the police de- they return from maternity
city." partment in Oakland, Cali- leave.
Outlaw did not respond fornia. In October, a police inspec-
to a request for comment Former Philadelphia Police tor was charged with sexu-
through the city Friday, but Commissioner Richard Ross ally assaulting three female
she said at a news con- Jr. abruptly resigned last officers he had mentored
ference in December an- summer after a lawsuit al- over the years. And in July,
nouncing her appointment leged that he ignored sex- the department pledged
that she brings a personal ual harassment complaints to fire more than a dozen
understanding to her role. because he'd once had an officers as part of a na-
"My sons are 21 and 18. I un- affair with one of the com- tional investigation of racist
In this Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017, file photo, British Airways derstand the fear that's out plaining officers. Ross de-
planes are parked at Heathrow Airport in London. and violent posts made to
Associated Press there in our communities of nied that he had retaliated police social media pages.
the police. I understand the against anyone.
Most of those officers had
British Airways flight mistrust. I understand also, Recent lawsuits have ac- resigned or retried as of

crosses Atlantic in on the other side, why we cused department brass January.q

less than 5 hours

Associated Press cent average flight time
For the first time in years, between New York and
a commercial passen- London is 6 hours and 13
ger plane has flown minutes, according to
across the Atlantic in less Flightradar24. The wind
than five hours. A Brit- and air currents were ide-
ish Airways flight landed al for a fast flight, said Ian
early Sunday morning at Petchenik, Flightradar24's
Heathrow Airport in Lon- director of communica-
don after leaving John tions. "In the winter, the
F. Kennedy International jet stream dips down a
Airport in New York just bit," he said. "It's kind of in
four hours and 56 minutes a perfect spot for flights
earlier. That set a new across the North Atlantic
speed record for subson- to take advantage of it."
ic — or slower than the British Airways just narrow-
speed of sound — com- ly beat out a Virgin Atlan-
mercial aircraft to fly be- tic flight, which arrived
tween the two cities, ac- in London at around the
cording to Flightradar24, same time but one min-
which tracks global ute slower. British Airways
flights. The previous re- confirmed the flight time
cord was held by a Nor- for the Boeing 747 plane,
wegian Air flight, which saying the company pri-
flew between the two oritizes safety over speed.
cities with a flight time The supersonic Concorde
of five hours and 13 min- flights used to fly across
utes. The flight had been the Atlantic in just over
expected to take 102 three hours, but stopped
minutes longer. The re- flying in 2003.q