Four members of the Baltimore City Council are on their way back home after spending time in Texas to learn more about the man nominated as Baltimore City's next police commissioner.
Mayor Catherine Pugh submitted the nomination of Joel Fitzgerald for the position last week. Right now, he is the Chief of Police in Fort Worth, Texas.
The City Council released a statement on their two-day visit:
"For nearly 20 complete hours over the course of two days, a four-person delegation of members of the Baltimore City Council spent time in Fort Worth, Texas, meeting with nearly 40 individuals.
As the Baltimore City Council prepares to conduct confirmation hearings for Dr. Joel Fitzgerald, the Mayor's nominee to lead the police department, the delegation's trip to Fort Worth will provide the Council with background information gathered from a collection of members of that city's faith, business, advocacy, and elected communities.
Over the course of the coming weeks, my office will spend time compiling the information gathered during our time in Fort Worth. We plan to issue a report in advance of the January 5, 2019 public hearing for Dr. Fitzgerald's nomination. This report will include a detailed list of individuals who were interviewed and official meeting minutes captured by a licensed court reporter during two listening sessions with community, faith, and civic leaders.
The members of the delegation and I will spend time digesting the information we gathered and refrain from public comment until the report is published in the New Year," Baltimore City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young
There will be two hearings on Fitzgerald's nomination next month. The first is set for Saturday, January 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Baltimore City Hall. This hearing will be open for public comment.
The next hearing is set for Monday, January 7 at 5 p.m. at City Hall. The public can attend but comments will only come from the City Council.
Council members will then have until January 28 to decide whether to confirm Fitzgerald.
