BALTIMORE – The first face-to-face engagement meeting with Baltimore’s Acting Police Commissioner Richard Worley brought out community members from every corner of the city Monday evening.
A total of seven town-hall style meetings are scheduled throughout August, five of which are in-person, to coincide with the city council confirmation process.
Worley has been serving as interim commissioner since June 8 after Michael Harrison resigned from the department.
Mayor Brandon Scott officially nominated Worley on July 17 to serve in the leadership role permanently.
At the Lord’s Church in Park Heights, dozens of residents fired off questions and voiced concerns about public safety to Worley, who alongside the city mayor, answered in real-time.
“The most important part of the city are the people and the communities,” Worley said. “Baltimore is a city of neighborhoods. Every neighborhood is different, every neighborhood is special.”
Repeated concerns from those who spoke at the meeting centered around vacancies within the police department, the desire for more active policing, plus trust and transparency from those who serve.
The platform also allowed Worley to explain his goals for the future of the Baltimore Police Department.
“Our patrol staffing is at its lowest that it has ever been since I’ve been in the department,” Worley said. “So what we’ve done, we’ve made some really tough decisions about putting more people in patrol.”
Earlier this month, Mayor Scott announced Worley’s confirmation hearing would be postponed until after the completion of all community engagement meetings.
“We are held to a higher standard than anyone else because we are given the authority to make arrests,” Worley said. “So any accusations is fully investigated by internal affairs.”
You could read more of this CBS News article here.