BALTIMORE — The Baltimore City Council is set to vote on whether to confirm Michael Harrison as the next police commissioner on Monday.
A city council committee unanimously voted in favor of Harrison’s confirmation last week, and a couple of city council members shared some thoughts about Harrison ahead of Monday night's vote.
One of the members is council president Bernard Jack Young, who enthusiastically endorsed Harrison.
Young talked about his initial impressions of the acting commissioner, “He had the right combination of humility, intellect and integrity." The city council president went on to say he thinks Harrison is the right person for the job and plans to vote yes during the meeting.
At least one city council member said he's still not sure how he's going to vote.
Councilman Ryan Dorsey said he asked people what they thought about Harrison and while most of the responses seemed positive, Dorsey still has some concerns. Such as Harrison’s plan to address the police department's budget and making necessary changes using the budget.
On reducing police spending so other things are possible, he fails to acknowledge that necessary changes are impossible under the current budget. I want somebody who at least acknowledges the futility of the circumstance, and takes an approach that looks from higher up.
— Ryan Dorsey (@ElectRyanDorsey) March 10, 2019
If Harrison is approved, he will be the fourth Baltimore police commissioner in over a year. If he's not approved he'll still walk away with a full year's salary under his contract with the city. That’s about $275,000 a year.
