New Police Commissioner Nominee Named In Baltimore

BALTIMORE, MD — Mayor Catherine Pugh has reportedly selected a new nominee for the city's police commissioner. The announcement comes one day after the candidate she had previously backed withdrew his name from consideration as his 13-year-old son undergoes brain surgery in Fort Worth, Texas.

Michael S. Harrison, superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department, is the person Pugh will recommend for the job of police commissioner for the Baltimore Police Department, Fox 45 reported Tuesday morning. The news station reported he formally retired from his post in Louisiana.

Harrison has led the New Orleans Police Department since 2014 and has been a member there since 1991.

Before joining the New Orleans Police Department, Harrison served eight years with the Louisiana Air National Guard. He has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Phoenix and a master's in criminal justice from Loyola University. He is a graduate of Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command, Senior Management Institute for Police and the FBI’s National Executive Institute, according to the New Orleans Police Department.

Harrison has delivered "clear, consistent and compelling results," Pugh said in a statement obtained by WBAL, noting the police department there was under a federal consent decree, just like Baltimore is.

Following the 2015 riots, the Baltimore Police Department signed a consent decree committing to police reform and repairing systemic issues.

"This morning I was notified that Mayor Pugh has selected New Orleans Police Superintendent Harrison as her designee to be Baltimore's next Police Commissioner," Councilman Brandon Scott said in a statement on Tuesday, Jan. 8. "While I still believe that we should have had a more open, inclusive and transparent process, I respect the Mayor's decision as it abides by current law."

Scott outlined what he was looking for in the next leader of the Baltimore Police Department and laid out how he thought the process of selecting the commissioner should be conducted.

"Baltimore needs our next police commissioner to be a proven crime fighter with the ability to concurrently reform and restructure the Baltimore Police Department. At first look Superintendent Harrison seems to meet those standards," Scott said. He said he would be asking for additional information from the police commissioner nominee.

"The decision on who shall be next to lead the Baltimore Police Department is much too important to leave any stone unturned," Scott said. "I will again be requesting that the Baltimore Delegation to the Maryland General Assembly pass legislation to change the structure of the Baltimore Police Department to help ensure that future Police Commissioner searches and all other items pertaining to the Baltimore Police Department are handled in a better fashion."

Since January 2018, there have been three people heading up the Baltimore Police Department.

Police Commissioner Kevin Davis was fired in January after Pugh said the city was "not achieving the pace of progress that our residents have every right to expect in the weeks since we ended what was nearly a record year for homicides in the city of Baltimore."

Interim Commissioner Garry Tuggle has led the Baltimore Police Department since May.

He was appointed to the post after former Commissioner Darryl De Sousa resigned following charges that he failed to pay taxes.

Fort Worth Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald initially had the recommendation of the mayor but withdrew his nomination on Jan. 7 as his 13-year-old son underwent his second surgery, the Star-Telegram reported.

SEE ALSO:

• Baltimore Police Commissioner Nominee Withdraws
• Former Police Commissioner Darryl De Sousa Enters Plea For Taxes
• Baltimore Mayor Fires Police Commissioner Davis
• Mayor Picks Joel Fitzgerald For Police Commissioner Job: Reports
• Baltimore Commits To Police Reform Outlined By Feds

Photo of Superintendent Michael S. Harrison courtesy of the New Orleans Police Department.