The 11 News I-Team has new details about the background of the man tapped to be the next Baltimore police commissioner.Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh said information will soon be shared with members of the City Council. Several council members plan to travel to Fort Worth, Texas, to learn more about Joel Fitzgerald. His police career, though, was made in Philadelphia in plainclothes policing, the same type of policing that has drawn scrutiny in Baltimore.Fitzgerald is a police chief three times over and is now in line for his fourth top job, tapped by Pugh to be the next commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department.From 1992 to 2009, the biggest chunk of his career, Fitzgerald was with the Philadelphia Police Department, where he started as a patrol officer before moving to plainclothes narcotics units.According to a copy of his resume, posted online: Fitzgerald served as a commander, sergeant and lieutenant in the Narcotic Strike Task Force from September 2000 to May 2007. He directed drug investigations and focused on open-air drug markets.From May to August 2007, Fitzgerald was a commander and lieutenant of the Narcotics Field Unit, the city's largest narcotics unit.During his tenure in the units, Fitzgerald and other officers were accused in a civil lawsuit of illegally arresting a woman and her husband. Fitzgerald's squad executed a search warrant of the couple's home in 2007 in the Germantown area of Philadelphia, suspecting drug dealing.Once inside the house, the couple said, police threatened their son, saying if he didn't give them information on a shooting, they would arrest his parents. The couple were charged with drug violations and taken to jail. The charges were later dropped.As for drugs police took from the house, the woman told the I-Team: "They allegedly found drugs in the oven. That's impossible. We cooked and used the oven for heat."The couple filed a lawsuit against police, which a judge dismissed, finding Fitzgerald and the other officers had probable cause to make the arrest. Shortly after that case, Fitzgerald moved to a federal drug task force.Some members of the City Council have threatened to withhold their votes on Fitzgerald unless they see the results of his background investigation. The mayor told the I-Team Wednesday that Fitzgerald's resume and other background information will be provided when Fitzgerald's name is formally submitted to the council's Executive Appointments Committee.

The 11 News I-Team has new details about the background of the man tapped to be the next Baltimore police commissioner.

Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh said information will soon be shared with members of the City Council. Several council members plan to travel to Fort Worth, Texas, to learn more about Joel Fitzgerald. His police career, though, was made in Philadelphia in plainclothes policing, the same type of policing that has drawn scrutiny in Baltimore.

Fitzgerald is a police chief three times over and is now in line for his fourth top job, tapped by Pugh to be the next commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department.

From 1992 to 2009, the biggest chunk of his career, Fitzgerald was with the Philadelphia Police Department, where he started as a patrol officer before moving to plainclothes narcotics units.

According to a copy of his resume, posted online: Fitzgerald served as a commander, sergeant and lieutenant in the Narcotic Strike Task Force from September 2000 to May 2007. He directed drug investigations and focused on open-air drug markets.

From May to August 2007, Fitzgerald was a commander and lieutenant of the Narcotics Field Unit, the city's largest narcotics unit.

During his tenure in the units, Fitzgerald and other officers were accused in a civil lawsuit of illegally arresting a woman and her husband. Fitzgerald's squad executed a search warrant of the couple's home in 2007 in the Germantown area of Philadelphia, suspecting drug dealing.

Once inside the house, the couple said, police threatened their son, saying if he didn't give them information on a shooting, they would arrest his parents. The couple were charged with drug violations and taken to jail. The charges were later dropped.

As for drugs police took from the house, the woman told the I-Team: "They allegedly found drugs in the oven. That's impossible. We cooked and used the oven for heat."

The couple filed a lawsuit against police, which a judge dismissed, finding Fitzgerald and the other officers had probable cause to make the arrest. Shortly after that case, Fitzgerald moved to a federal drug task force.



Some members of the City Council have threatened to withhold their votes on Fitzgerald unless they see the results of his background investigation. The mayor told the I-Team Wednesday that Fitzgerald's resume and other background information will be provided when Fitzgerald's name is formally submitted to the council's Executive Appointments Committee.

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President Mancuso and Labor Chair MacDonald are on the way home from Ft. Worth, TX today, after two days of speaking to rank & file members of the Forth Worth PD. The trip was productive and we are grateful for the hours spent with them. — Baltimore City FOP (@FOP3) November 29, 2018

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Since 2007, BPD Commissioner Designate Joel Fitzgerald has been a finalist for 10 chief jobs around the country, Was Chief Missouri City TX (2009) Allentown PA (2013) now Fort Worth (2015) — Jayne Miller (@jemillerwbal) November 28, 2018

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In re background investigation of Joel Fitzgerald for next BPD, @MayorPugh50 says resume and other background related info will be provided when name is submitted to City Council Exec Appts Committee next week — Jayne Miller (@jemillerwbal) November 28, 2018

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Woman says Fitzgerald and officers told son if he didn't give info on a shooting they would arrest his parents (which they did). She says officers put them in wagon, let them sit for 20 mins or so before taking them to police station. She thought it was a scare tactic — Jayne Miller (@jemillerwbal) November 28, 2018

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Phila Court records:

Joel Fitzgerald, as Lt in Narcotics Strike Force in 2007, sued w/others in squad by couple that said they were illegally arrested because police thought their son would not give info on shooting. City denied allegations. Court later dismissed case pic.twitter.com/hx46Gk2CDo — Jayne Miller (@jemillerwbal) November 28, 2018

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In light of the dark cloud over plainclothes policing in Baltimore (GTTF, VCID, et al) seems Joel Fitzgerald's work in Phila supervising plainclothes drug units should be a focus of City Council questions. Part of his resume: pic.twitter.com/Ng2RgoAoFu — Jayne Miller (@jemillerwbal) November 28, 2018

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