Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison steps down
BALTIMORE -- Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison announced Thursday he is stepping down from the position he has held for four years.
Mayor Brandon Scott said in a press conference that Richard Worley, Deputy Commissioner of the Operations Bureau, is his nomination to succeed Harrison.
Worley, a Baltimore native from Pigtown and a 25-year veteran of the department, will serve as Acting Commissioner until he is confirmed by the Baltimore City Council.
"I think an opportunity for someone in leadership who's gone through the ranks here, who's been on the streets here, who knows the community—I think that's what's always needed," community activist Ericka Alston Buck said.
Scott said he and Harrison "had numerous conversations about the future" of the police department," and that "it became clear to both of us that this was the right time to make this transition."
Harrison came to Baltimore in 2019 from the New Orleans Police Department, where he served for 26 years, most recently as superintendent.
He became the fifth commissioner the city had within four years, assuming a federal consent decree the department had entered in 2017.
"Baltimore is probably one of the toughest cities for someone to be a commissioner," Buck said.
New Orleans' police force was under a consent decree when Harrison left it, too.
The federal oversight of the Baltimore Police Department began after a scathing federal report showed that officers routinely violated citizens' rights amid the uprisings following Freddie Gray's death.
Scott said the consent decree team and Judge James Bredar, who oversees the decree, were aware of Harrison's pending departure.
The 54-year-old said he doesn't have any interviews or job offers lined up, saying he wants to rest.
"The first thing for me is to breathe," he said.
The move comes as a surprise to city council member Eric Costello.
Costello had questioned Harrison about his commitment to the department during a public meeting on Tuesday.
"It's very disappointing to ask that question directly three times and not get a direct answer and then less than 48 hours have the commissioner step down," he said.
Watch the full announcement here:
