Baltimore police commissioner departing after 4 years; led department through court-ordered reforms

By LEA SKENE
Associated Press

BALTIMORE (AP) — Baltimore’s police commissioner is stepping down after four years in the role. Commissioner Michael S. Harrison’s departure was announced Thursday morning at a news conference held on short notice at City Hall. Harrison was appointed commissioner in 2019 and granted a five-year contract, which would have ended in March 2024. His tenure focused on leading the city’s embattled police department through a series of reform efforts following the 2015 death of Freddie Gray. Harrison moved to Baltimore from New Orleans, where he led that city’s police department through a reform process similar to the court-ordered changes being implemented in Baltimore.