Joel Fitzgerald Withdraws Name From Consideration As Commissioner

UPDATE: Joel Fitzgerald Withdraws Name From Consideration As Commissioner

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UPDATE:

Joel Fitzgerald will not become the head of Baltimore’s police force.

In a tweet sent Monday morning, the Fort Worth Police Department official Twitter account said Chief Fitzgerald has withdrawn his name from consideration as Baltimore Police Commissioner.

People packed an emotional public hearing at City Hall Saturday to protest the mayor’s pick to lead Baltimore’s police department.

ORIGINAL:

The overwhelming opinion was clear.

Mayor Catherine Pugh’s choice to lead the city’s police department is not who a packed council chambers wanted.

“I’ve walked the streets of Beijing, China; Santiago, Chile; Harare, Zimbabwe; New York, Las Vegas etc. I’ve felt safer in those cities than I do in Baltimore,” one concerned resident said.

Many people who attended the public hearing were critical of Joel Fitzgerald, and they don’t think he’s the best person to lead the Police Department. Some critics at the hearing accused Fitzgerald of exaggerating his resume and said he hadn’t developed a crimefighting plan.

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