Fort Worth chief finalist turns down top job in Kansas

A finalist for the Fort Worth police chief vacancy declined an offer for the same position in Wichita, Kan.

Joel Fitzgerald, now chief in Allentown, Pa., turned down the Wichita job, “citing more interest” in Fort Worth, the Wichita Business Journal reported.

Fitzgerald, 44, is one of six finalists to replace former Fort Worth Chief Jeffrey Halstead, who stepped down in January. Fitzgerald was one of two finalists for the Wichita position.

Fort Worth City Manager David Cooke told the Star-Telegram last week that a decision on the new chief could be coming soon, possibly by the end of the month.

The six finalists were announced earlier this month.

Fitzgerald is one of two finalists with experience as a chief. He has led departments in Allentown and in Missouri City, near Houston. He also spent 17 years as an officer in the Philadelphia Police Department.

Finalist Anne Kirkpatrick was also a chief in three Washington cities, including Spokane. The other four finalists have spent extensive careers in large departments: Kenneth Dean and Abdul Pridgen in Fort Worth, Jose Banales in San Antonio and Kirk Munden in Houston.

“I want to look at their motivation, what their personal goals are, what their whole view of policing is,” Cooke said in an interview last week. “There’s more to the depth of a person than whether they’ve been a chief in a city or in a big police department.”

This story was originally published September 21, 2015 at 1:57 PM with the headline "Fort Worth chief finalist turns down top job in Kansas."