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U.S. NEWS Saturday 17 November 2018

Baltimore mayor picks Fort Worth chief as next top cop

By DAVID McFADDEN and more’s police department, er this year after admissions notched last year in Mary- a black woman, to the
RYAN TARINELLI the eighth largest munici- by corrupt detectives on an land’s biggest city yielded ground before arresting the
Associated Press pal police department in out-of-control unit called a punishing homicide rate woman and her daughter.
BALTIMORE (AP) — Balti- the United States. Fitzger- the Gun Trace Task Force of 56 per 100,000 people, The video sparked outrage
more’s mayor announced ald would be the city’s revealed that members re- a record per-capita rate in and garnered national at-
Friday she has chosen a tention. The incident came
Texas police chief as her after Craig complained
nominee to lead the city’s that a man had physically
troubled force, seeking to confronted her 7-year-old
rein in a soaring pace of son for allegedly littering.
violent crime and boost There were calls for the of-
public trust in a tattered ficer to be fired, but Fitzger-
department where instabil- ald instead decided to
ity has become the norm. suspend the officer for 10
In an op-ed published late days. Fort Worth and Arling-
Friday afternoon on The ton pastors asserted the ar-
Baltimore Sun’s website, rests were racist. The police
Mayor Catherine Pugh said chief, instead, said the of-
she believed Fort Worth ficer was rude and stated:
Police Chief Joel Fitzger- “There’s a difference be-
ald was “best suited to tween rude and racism.”
lead the way forward.” Another Fort Worth pastor,
She wrote that he has led B.R. Daniels Jr., said he wish-
a large police department es the chief well in the new
and is “well versed on train- position, but said Fitzgerald
ing and community en- should examine his views
gagement.” In this Jan. 9, 2017 file photo, Fort Worth Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald speaks at a press conference on building police-commu-
“Joel Fitzgerald is the per- to announce the discipline for Officer William Martin in Forth Worth, Texas. nity relationships, particu-
son, in my view, to now Associated Press larly with Baltimore’s history
lead Baltimore’s police de- of police misconduct.
partment into a new era fourth police leader this sold seized narcotics, con- Baltimore and well above “He just can’t keep slap-
of credibility, accountabil- year alone. ducted brazen robberies that of any other big Ameri- ping (officers) on the wrist,”
ity and trust,” she wrote. “I Baltimore is struggling to and falsified evidence. can city. he said.
hope that you will give him implement a federal con- In 2015, Baltimore made in- In recent days, some local Pugh, however, described
the full and fair hearing he sent decree mandating ternational headlines when Fort Worth leaders have Fitzgerald as a proven re-
deserves as he works to sweeping reforms after U.S. a 25-year-old black man’s cast doubt on Fitzgerald former who has motivated
earn your confidence as he investigators detailed long- death in police custody as a true police reformer officers to “adapt to new
has earned mine.” standing patterns of un- triggered massive protests as speculation built that he approaches and new tech-
The mayor’s spokesman constitutional policing and and the city’s worst riot- would soon be departing nologies.” She said he un-
confirmed that she expects excessive force. As com- ing in decades. Six police for Baltimore. derstands that use-of-force
Fitzgerald will start working missioner, Fitzgerald would officers were charged in “I’m not sad to see him go,” policies must be clearly un-
as acting commissioner be a key player in making connection with the death said Michael Bell, pastor at derstood by rank and file,
after Thanksgiving, taking sure reforms encompass- of Freddie Gray but three Greater St. Stephen First among other things.
over the responsibilities of ing some of the most fun- were acquitted and the Church in Fort Worth. “He “In each of his leadership
interim Commissioner Gary damental aspects of po- city’s top prosecutor even- was ineffective in bridging positions, commissioner-
Tuggle. lice work — use of force, tually dropped the three the gap between the po- designate Fitzgerald has es-
Fitzgerald, 47, will need to searches and arrests — fi- remaining cases. lice and the community.” tablished a reputation as a
be confirmed by the Balti- nally take root. Violent crime rates in Balti- Bell criticized Fitzgerald’s reformer and ‘disrupter’ of
more City Council in com- Confidence in Baltimore’s more have been notorious- handling of the fallout from the status quo,” she wrote.
ing weeks to become per- sworn protectors has badly ly high for years. But there’s a police encounter in 2016, Fitzgerald could not im-
manent commissioner. deteriorated over many been a worrying march of in which a video showed mediately be contacted
Recent years have been years. However, it might killings since Gray’s death. a white Fort Worth officer for comment on Pugh’s
deeply tumultuous for Balti- have hit rock bottom earli- In 2017, the 342 homicides wrestle Jacqueline Craig, announcement.q