I-Team: Acting police Commissioner Rich Worley is native of Baltimore, but not yet a city resident
Mayor's Office: City code does not apply to Worley while he's acting commissioner
Mayor's Office: City code does not apply to Worley while he's acting commissioner
Mayor's Office: City code does not apply to Worley while he's acting commissioner
Baltimore Police Department Acting Commissioner Rich Worley is a Baltimore native but not currently a city resident, the 11 News I-Team has learned.
City code requires the commissioner to eventually become a city resident, but that's also where things get complicated. City code states that any commissioner who doesn't live in the city is required to sign a "declaration of intent" to become a city resident within six months before he or she is appointed by the mayor.
A representative for Mayor Brandon Scott told the I-Team that Worley is complaint because the city code does not apply to him right now, arguing Worley was only appointed acting commissioner, not appointed commissioner.
Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby told the I-Team that explanation doesn't make sense, saying Mayor Scott announced his decision to appoint Worley as acting commissioner at Thursday's news conference.
"Everybody's 'acting' until they're confirmed," Mosby said. "Appointed and confirmed are the only two designations."
Mosby told the I-Team he wants to see Worley's signed "declaration of intent."
Mosby said he will "definitely" ask to see it at Worley's confirmation hearing to decide if he should be confirmed as commissioner.
Though Worley would be a homegrown commissioner if he's confirmed by the City Council, the I-Team found public records that show Worley currently lives in Anne Arundel County, and the BPD confirmed it.
"I was born and raised in Baltimore, and I look forward to continuing that service," Worley said at Thursday's news conference announcing the departure of former Commissioner Michael Harrison.
'I feel confident that he's going to make sure that he does right by Baltimore'
Baltimore City Sen. Cory McCray, D-District 45, told the I-Team that top city officials should be required to live in the city they serve, and he has even introduced and helped pass legislation recently that allows city councils to mandate residency requirements for top city officials.
"Historically, ever since I've been in high school, every commissioner that I've known has lived in the city because they have to live in the city," McCray said.
McCray told the I-Team he's excited that Worley has been chosen for the top position in the Baltimore Police Department, but said he expects Worley to follow the rules like everyone else.
"He knows what the statute states, and I feel confident that he's going to do it," McCray said. "He knows Baltimore, he's of Baltimore, and I feel confident that he's going to make sure that he does right by Baltimore."
What does city code say about residency requirements?
The statute comes from the Baltimore City Code, which states that the commissioner "must be a resident and registered voter of Baltimore City at the time of his or her appointment."
If he or she is not, the statute lists one short-term exception, saying that if the nominee, "before her or his appointment, signs a declaration of intent to become a city resident" within six months, then they can be appointed commissioner.
The next section says if that person does not become a city resident within six months, "the official's appointment is automatically terminated."
A BPD statement about Worley said, in part: "He and his wife are actively looking to re-establish residency in Baltimore City, a process they actually started months prior to his elevation."
The I-Team asked the mayor's office for a copy of Worley's declaration of intent to move to Baltimore City within six months. A mayoral representative said the city code does not apply to Worley right now, and the declaration of intent would only be made available after Worley is confirmed by the City Council.
Worley's meteoric rise through the BPD ranks
A Pigtown native, Worley joined the BPD in 1998, starting his first four years on patrol in the Western District. The police department said Worley was promoted to lieutenant in 2008 and to major a year later. In 2018, he was promoted to colonel as chief of patrol.
In 2021, Worley was assigned to a post as chief of detectives before being named to his current post in September 2022 as deputy commissioner of the operations bureau, where he oversees patrol, criminal investigation and several other units.
A BPD organizational chart from March shows Worley was selected for the top position ahead of three other deputy commissioners in the department.