BALTIMORE — Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott says Richard Worley is the right person to lead Baltimore Police Department.
On Monday night, Baltimore got a chance to meet, and ask questions to, their potential new police commissioner in-person, the first in-person community meeting in a series of meetings intended to connect residents with the nominee for top cop.
"How can we expect our police officers to have value, and care about, a community they don't even live in?" One resident asked.
"I can tell you that we want that as well," Worley replied.
"We also have incentives to hire officers who come from the city - and we offer incentives to recruitment," he continued.
Acting Commissioner Worley and Mayor Scott faced questions on police brutality, the city's issues with violence and drugs, building community relations, and how police can improve public safety under Worley's leadership.
"What I need to know from you - being the new commissioner - exactly what it is you propose to do, specifically about Garrison Boulevard," said a northwest Baltimore resident. "In that northwest district, are we going to see some boots on the ground?"
"We want our officers to have 40 percent of every hour free to walk foot," Worley responded in-part, "and that's how you get to know the community. You get out and walk foot, you talk to them, you go into businesses you get to know them. The only way we can do that is build our force back up and get more people in patrol."
Worley is from Baltimore's Pigtown neighborhood, and is currently the acting leader, in place of former Commissioner Michael Harrison, who abruptly left in June.
The Brooklyn Day mass shooting in the beginning of July marked a tumultuous start to the acting commissioner's tenure; two people died and 28 others were shot. Police have still not made any more arrests in that shooting, besides gun charges for a 17-year-old suspect. We're still awaiting the department's after-action report.
READ MORE: Teen arrested in connection with mass shooting in Brooklyn neighborhood
At a July hearing in Baltimore City Hall, the acting commissioner said the department failed to adequately respond to it. On Monday, he reaffirmed that.
"We could have done better and we should have done better," Worley said. "And my job is to fix it to make sure it doesn't happen again. One thing that was corrected with the inequity in patrol is the redistricting."
Worley was scheduled for a nomination hearing with the City Council this week, but it was postponed it until after these community meetings are complete. The mayor tells WMAR that was done for a reason.
"The community just deserves an opportunity to interact with the acting commissioner," Scott said. "We know many have done that over the years, but we have to be out with our community and let them know who will be leading the ship at BPD."
This was the first in-person meeting. The next one is next Tuesday, August 22 at Shake & Bake Family Fun Center at 6pm. There are three more left in-person, and one over the phone.
