Phone: (281) 342-6185
Fax: (281) 342-4798
Office of Emergency Management
Missouri City Selects New Police Chief
MEDIA RELEASE
www.missouricitytx.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 2, 2009
CONTACT: Jenny Faber - 281/403-8530
jlimfaber@missouricitytx.gov
Please note: The City of Missouri City's new police chief will be available for media interviews outside the City Council Chambers at City Hall, 1522 Texas Parkway, from 6:30 to 7 p.m. on Monday, April 6.
Lt. Joel F. Fitzgerald, Sr., 38, a 17-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department, has been named the new Chief of Police for the City of Missouri City.
The City Council approved the hiring of Fitzgerald at a special meeting on March 30. As Commanding Officer for Philadelphia's Intensive Drug Investigation Division, Fitzgerald led 69 officers assigned from local, state and federal task forces that targeted and prosecuted narcotics distributors.
Prior to that, as a Commander in Philadelphia's Narcotics Field Unit and Narcotics Strike Force, Fitzgerald led units with City-wide jurisdiction to serve Philadelphia's 1.4 million residents.
In Missouri City, Fitzgerald will head a department with 79 sworn police officers who serve a population of 65,061 residents.
"There were a number of very qualified candidates for this position, and we are fortunate to have Joel Fitzgerald as our final selection," said City Manager Frank Simpson. "He has a range of law enforcement experience, from serving as a patrol officer to being Philadelphia's highest-ranking police liaison to federal agencies. As a public safety leader from Philadelphia, he knows firsthand the crime trends that can affect metropolitan areas."
Fitzgerald said over the past three years, he has executed innovative and community-oriented strategies to improve the service, productivity, training, morale and efficiency in his police units. With admiration for Missouri City's Police department, he said he looks forward to continuing the City's advances in community policing and reducing crime.
"Missouri City is unique in that it offers the feel of a small community with the promise of continued economic expansion," Fitzgerald said. "As the City continues to grow, I look forward to working with police personnel on developing even further their fine service delivery to residents."
The new police chief began his law enforcement career as an officer with the City of Brotherly Love's police in 1992. He was named "Officer of the Year" for his district in 1993 and was promoted to sergeant in 1998. Fitzgerald spent eight years on the street, during which he was assigned to Philadelphia's first Mobile Mini Station and earned a certification from the FBI in Community Policing. As a Community Relations Officer, he met regularly with citizens and businesses and developed plans to combat burglaries, robberies and community-related complaints.
Over the span of his career, he has juggled a range of law enforcement duties, from investigating violent crime to managing his division's fiscal responsibility. In 1998, he trained at the Police Executive Development Institute at Penn State University-Abington. In his senior responsibilities with the Philadelphia Police Department, Fitzgerald utilized the CompStat (Computer Statistics) system - a program using "real time" data to track crime trends and hold commanders accountable for spikes - to design an intelligent policing strategy for his division. CompStat is the famed crime-reduction strategy credited for the drop in crime in New York City during Rudy Giuliani's terms as mayor.
"With his expertise in organizational development and community policing, his belief in open communication and his vision for further developing our outstanding police department, Joel Fitzgerald will undoubtedly continue Missouri City's high standard of public safety," Simpson said.
In November 2008, Congressional Quarterly named Missouri City the 22nd safest in the nation in the 75,000 to 100,000 population range.
"It is an honor to be the person selected to lead this City's police department," Fitzgerald said. "I am eager to meet the men and women who risk their lives each day to keep Missouri City one of the safest places in the country. I feel welcomed. The leadership transition should be seamless as we meet challenges in the future."
Fitzgerald earned a Bachelor of Arts from Villanova University and an M.B.A. from Eastern University in St. David's, Pa. He is enrolled in a Ph.D. program in Business Administration at Northcentral University in Prescott, Ariz.
His appointment will be effective April 26. He and his wife, Pauline, who is also an 11-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department, have three children.
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