Joel Fitzgerald, Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh's choice to head the city police department speaks at a news conference at City Hall.
It’s not clear precisely what information will be shared, nor whether the submission will include a complete background check report that members of the council have been pushing to see.
In an interview, Pugh said some information would be withheld to protect the privacy of Fitzgerald’s family.
“The stuff that can be shared will be shared,” Pugh said.
Much of the information the city has gathered on Fitzgerald is likely protected by state laws that guard personnel records, meaning officials can’t disclose it, and it’s not clear how much Fitzgerald is willing to release voluntarily.
But a third council member — Zeke Cohen — announced Wednesday that he would not be able to vote in favor of Fitzgerald unless he can review the background investigation report.
Cohen described a testy interaction when he asked Fitzgerald on Tuesday to share the file.
“Baltimore is a tough town and anyone who wants to lead the police department needs to understand that our city is at a moment where people are demanding transparency and engagement,” Cohen said.
On Monday, the chairman and vice chairman of the council’s public safety committee, Brandon Scott and Ryan Dorsey, also said they would not vote in favor of Fitzgerald without seeing the report.
Fitzgerald’s nomination would need a majority of the 15-member council to be approved.
Pugh said that Fitzgerald enjoyed his meetings with council members and was smiling when she last saw him on Tuesday.
Pugh said the confirmation process remains on track and that the community is going to have a chance to get to know Fitzgerald.
“We just continue to move forward,” she said.
The city hired US ISS Agency, a North Carolina private investigation company, to probe Fitzgerald’s background, but officials have declined to say precisely what checks were carried out.
City Solicitor Andre Davis has said the investigators’ report is a personnel record and so legally protected from public disclosure. He said he is reluctant to release it to the City Council in case that step weakens those legal protections.
Fitzgerald is currently police chief in Fort Worth, Texas, and told reporters Monday that he intends to continue in that job until the council holds a final vote on his nomination. That’s expected in late January.
Cohen said the decision on who should become police commissioner is critically important to the city.