UC grad among finalists for Philadelphia police commissioner

Throughout the years while she was working as an officer and climbing the ranks she was also working as an adjunct professor, an academic advisor, a criminal justice coordinator and a field-placement coordinator. All this work was paired with her desire to arm herself with more knowledge as she earned her graduate degree from Lincoln University near Oxford, Penn.

On top of the heavy workload, Bailey-Davis said she “faced all the ‘isms’ throughout my career – those “ism’s” being racism and misogyny.”

Nevertheless, she was able to command respect through her hard work and dedication to her profession and made change. Even changes that seemed small mattered greatly.

Bailey-Davis noticed how civilians were being treated when they came to court. To her dismay, people were forced to remain outside of the building, even in harsh weather.

“Animals are kept outside, not people. We’re not going to treat people like animals and we won’t leave them outside when it’s extremely hot or cold,” Bailey-Davis said.

Alongside her hard work for change in the department, Bailey-Davis also does her part to help out her community and alma mater, UC. She takes pride in donating to the university that helped her get to where she is today. She’s also had opportunities to help create scholarships and donate to organizations that help people from all walks of life succeed. She has even gone so far as to adopt her cousin, whom she calls her "cou-son."

For those who know her, it wasn't a surprise when she was in the running for the position of police commissioner, a position to that point that had never been held by a woman of color.

A Philadephia Tribune column in November endorsed her for the job, noting that she was a dean's list honoree at UC before she earned her master's and doctorate. Her dissertation was an analysis of complaints against police in Philadelphia and a case for social equity and collaborative governance in police reform.

In particular The Tribune noted that Bailey-Davis had given generously to programs such as UC's Darwin T. Turner Scholars Program, which provides tuition to first-generation college applicants.

"Her philanthropy demonstrates her understanding that broken children are easier to repair than broken adults," The Tribune said.

Ultimately, Bailey-Davis was not chosen for the position; however, when she learned the disappointing news, she called one of her former UC mentors, Dr. P. Eric Abercrumbie, now retired.

When he asked her if she was sad she wasn't picked, she replied that she wasn’t because of something he once told her that always stuck with her.

“Remember what you said to us? ‘I want you all to remember one thing. You can be the most educated, you can have the most experience, you could have done everything perfectly," she said. "There may be things in life that you don’t get an opportunity right away to do.’”

Bailey-Davis has continuously referenced the value of giving back to the community, of pursuing an education and of maintaining her spirituality.

While Bailey-Davis was not selected for police commissioner, she still has an aptitude for being a conduit of positivity between the community where she grew up and the law enforcement community to which she now belongs.

She understands the responsibility and weight of being in that position, she said.

“I understand my role as an African-American woman in law enforcement and the importance of being honest to the communities I serve," she said. "I don’t need any specific title for that work or responsibility. As a human being, I care about justice and the protection of everyone, on both sides. As long as I am placed in positions of influence, I will never stop bridging that gap.”