Judge Rules Former Fort Worth Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald's Firing Should Be 'Honorable' Discharge
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - It was a win in the courts for former Fort Worth Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald nearly a year after he was fired from the department.
Fitzgerald has maintained that he was terminated on May 20, 2019 largely due to being a whistleblower on the city's failure to follow cybersecurity policy for the federal criminal justice information system. His attorney said he was fired for a "staged incident" during a Top Cop Awards event in Washington D.C. last year.
However, according to his attorney, Fitzgerald had received a "general" discharge rather than an "honorable" one. Fitzgerald claimed he had trouble finding other employment due to this reason.
This designation of his firing was taken to the State Office of Administrative Hearings, and Fitzgerald left this part of his overall issue with the City of Fort Worth with a win.
The Administrative Law Judge ruled the police department "has failed to establish misconduct that would warrant... a general discharge." The judge ruled Fitzgerald should be "honorably discharged."
The city released a statement about the ruling that read in part:
"This ruling is nothing more than a clarification in characterizing the former chief's termination and has nothing to do with, and doesn't affect, ongoing litigation in this matter. We viewed a general discharge as the appropriate administrative designation because there were numerous issues of judgment and performance that led to the decision to terminate the former chief. While we disagree with the outcome, we will continue to protect the interests of our community...."
About a month ago, Fitzgerald was named the police chief of the department in Waterloo, Iowa. However, he said his lawsuit against the City of Fort Worth over the whistleblower claims will continue as he seeks damages.