Deputy Commissioner Coulter says she has not made decision about future with PPD

PHILADELPHIA - Deputy Commissioner Christine Coulter tells FOX 29 news she has not yet made a decision about her future with the Philadelphia Police Department. 

Sources say she was involved in a verbal dispute with Commissioner Danielle Outlaw over the handling of a recent shooting incident. 

Following the argument those sources say Outlaw gave Coulter the option to be demoted after the disagreement. 

Law enforcement sources had previously told FOX 29 that Coulter had resigned. 

"I did not resign. No decision has been made yet," Coulter told FOX 29’s Steve Keeley.

Speaking with FOX 29's Jeff Cole on Friday, Commissioner Outlaw insisted she had no dispute with Coulter and hinted at forthcoming personnel announcements.

"I want to be very clear, I have absolutely no dispute with Deputy Commissioner Coulter, and she's been an amazing asset through her decades of service here at the department," Outlaw said.  

Outlaw declined to answer whether Coulter would still be a deputy commissioner.

Coulter served as the Acting Police Commissioner after the sudden resignation of Richard Ross in 2019, before later being replaced by Outlaw. 

Coulter brief appointment was historic at the time as she became the first woman to lead Philadelphia's police force. 

"No matter the law enforcement assignment, Deputy Commissioner Coulter’s compassion for people and commitment to fairness and public safety shape her leadership style and fuel her law enforcement decisions," Coulter's biography on the department's website reads. 

The Philadelphia Police Department has not released a statement about Coulter's status with the department.