Newsmaker: Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison

Our Newsmaker guest today is Baltimore City Police Commissioner Michael Harrison.The COVID-19 pandemic has crippled businesses across the city and forced many to close, but it has had no appreciable effect on the number of murders in our city this year, which stands at 294 as of today.Yesterday, the Baltimore Police Department announced the arrests of 14 people who are believed to have been involved in several car-jackings in the Northwest District.And on October 29th, Judge James K. Bredar said in a quarterly hearing about the Consent Decree that, “there now is solid leadership in the Police Department, and there is beginning to flow real and substantial progress in achieving Consent Decree objectives.” This is from the Judge charged with overseeing the implementation of the Consent Decree between the Department of Justice and the Police Department. It is widely seen as a clear message to incoming Mayor Brandon Scott that he should not contemplate changing police commissioners. Mr. Scott has indicated so far that Mr. Harrison’s job is safe, at least for the moment. But the Mayor-elect has indicated that BPD will likely face significant budget cuts. And he campaigned on a promise to re-imagine the city’s approach to public safety.Police Commissioner Michael Harrison joins us on Zoom from his office at Police Department Headquarters in Baltimore…Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.