The Regional Transportation District’s chief of police Joel Fitzgerald Sr., who has been on leave since July, is “no longer” with the transit agency, according to an internal memo.
“I want to thank Dr. Fitzgerald for his service to the agency over the last two years and wish him well in his future endeavors,” RTD General Manager and CEO Debra Johnson wrote in a memo emailed to all agency staff on Friday.
It’s unclear whether Fitzgerald resigned or was fired. Johnson has also refused to explain why Fitzgerald was on leave.
Fitzgerald’s departure comes after CPR News obtained internal records that revealed he repeatedly drove an agency police SUV more than 100 mph and did not access RTD facilities very often, averaging just nine days per month during his tenure in Denver, according to an analysis of vehicle transponder and ID card entry data.
Fitzgerald did not respond to multiple requests for comment. RTD confirmed the memo’s authenticity and said it would announce plans for an interim leader of its police department in the coming days.
An RTD spokesperson said Johnson was not available for an interview. RTD’s board chair and the chair of the board’s operations and safety committee did not immediately respond to interview requests.
One member of that committee, Director Jaime Lewis, told CPR News that Fitzgerald’s work to develop the agency’s police department to address concerns over safety was “exceptional.”
“We will be looking for a candidate that has the skills and ambition to finish the efforts that were started,” Lewis said.
RTD hired Fitzgerald in 2022 with an annual salary of $250,000 to lead an expansion of the department.
Another board committee met in an executive session on Friday to receive legal advice regarding “workplace investigations.”
Fitzgerald also recently applied for the chief of police job in Austin but was not chosen as a finalist.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include a comment from RTD.
