Baltimore mayor picks Fort Worth chief as next top cop
Posted Nov 16, 2018 06:11:26 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Baltimore’s mayor has chosen a Texas police chief as her nominee to lead the city’s troubled force, seeking to reign in a soaring pace of homicides and boost public trust in a tattered department.
Mayor Catherine Pugh on Friday picked Fort Worth Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald, saying he’s led a large police department and was “well versed on training and community engagement.” Her spokesman confirmed that she expects Fitzgerald will start working as acting leader in coming days.
He will need to be confirmed by the Baltimore City Council.
Recent years have been tumultuous for Baltimore’s police department, where upheaval and leadership instability has become the norm. Fitzgerald would be the fourth leader this year alone.
Baltimore is struggling to implement a consent decree mandating sweeping police reforms.
The Associated Press
