DC crime on the rise. Did a MPD Commander get caught misusing city resources?
WASHINGTON (7News) — In the midst of a DC crime wave, 7 News undercover reveals a Metropolitan Police Department District Commander using city resources to pick him up from his apartment and take him to a bar.
It all went down while the Fifth District over the past two years has seen a rise in violent crimes including stolen vehicles and sex assaults. It also recorded the third-highest number of murders in DC from 2019 to 2020. 2021 crime stats have not been released.
See the latest DC crime report here: 2020 MPD Crime Report
MPD Fifth District Commander William Fitzgerald has now handed in his notice of retirement after a 7News investigation revealed he was using patrol cars to take him back and forth from his apartment to a bar late at night.
Fitzgerald joined MPD in 1990 and was named Fifth District Commander in 2015. He earns $197,630 annually.
Last month, 7 News first tracked Fitzgerald as he stepped out of a DC police patrol car onto 11th street in Northwest DC. This late at night you might think he's heading to an emergency or active crime scene, but he’s not.
He walks right into Solly’s U Street Tavern. It's a bar.
On five nights during a two-week period, 7News undercover tracked Fitzgerald using either patrol cars or an unmarked city-owned SUV to catch a ride from his apartment to a bar and back again.
Inside Solly’s, our cameras caught Commander Fitzgerald, a 32-year veteran of the MPD, drinking alcohol on multiple nights.
"I got a ride coming,” added Fitzgerald.
You guessed it! Depending on what's available, a patrol car or an unmarked SUV takes him back to his apartment.
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7News decided to catch up to Fitzgerald as he headed toward Solly's on a Wednesday night around 11:30 p.m.
“Hi, Commander Fitzgerald. Scott Taylor. 7News. Can you tell me why you are having patrol cars drop you off and pick you up at bars?” asks 7News Investigator Scott Taylor.
“No. We just dropped off now. We go around and check our beats because we have some overtime beats out. We ride around and check them out and I was coming here, and he dropped me off here. It was another car. It’s one of my officials I talk to,” says Fitzgerald.
“Then somebody picks you up at this bar, right?” asks Taylor.
“It has happened. Yes, Sir,” says Fitzgerald.
“We have you on video, over and over and over again, getting picked up at your apartment. Brought here. You sit here and drink until 1:30 in the morning and then a patrol car comes by, picks you up, and takes you to the apartment. How do you explain that? Is that a good resource for DC Police resources do you think? Is it a good way to spend resources?” asks Taylor.
“When they first drive around and check my beats, yes. Coming here at the end of the night no, that’s probably ... that’s wrong,” says Fitzgerald.
“You’re not checking any beats,” says Taylor.
“No, I said at the end of the night that’s wrong. That’s wrong, Sir,” says Fitzgerald.
On the night’s 7News followed Fitzgerald, his beat was 10 minutes long from his apartment to the bar.
“Right, so are you going to continue to do it?” asks Taylor.
“No,” says Fitzgerald.
Police policy states: Off-duty officers can't carry a gun when consuming alcohol. 7News doesn’t know if the Commander is armed or not when he's drinking. Read the policy here.
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“Why aren’t you taking an Uber, Commander?” asks Taylor.
“I do take Uber sometimes, but you are right, I was very wrong,” adds Fitzgerald.
7News alerted MPD Chief Robert Contee about what we discovered right after our chat with the Commander.
“This is a really disturbing event,” said Commander Fitzgerald on DC Police’s Twitter account about the shooting of a father in front of his children.
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Forty-eight hours later, Fitzgerald was still on active duty on Twitter representing MPD.
Chief Contee declined our multiple requests for an on-camera interview and asked us first to speak to his Assistant Chief. 7News declined the offer to speak to anyone except Contee because he oversees the District's recent surge in violent crime.
7News emailed Contee 15 questions:
- What is the current employment status of Fifth District Commander William Fitzgerald? Is he still the Commander of the Fifth District?
- Has MPD launched an investigation into the claims by 7 News concerning Fitzgerald and potential misuse of police and taxpayer’s resources?
- Is Commander Fitzgerald or any District Commander allowed to use unmarked city-owned vehicles and patrol cars for personal use?
- Does any officer pick up and drop off Commander Fitzgerald and any other District Commander from their home and take them to work?
- Are all Police Officers and Commanders with MPD required to have a driver’s license?
- Does Commander Fitzgerald have a current driver’s license?
- What is Commander Fitzgerald’s assigned 40 hours a week work schedule?
- Does Commander Fitzgerald or any District Commander fill out any type of MPD document that records their work hours during the week?
- Is Commander Fitzgerald or any District Commander allowed to use unmarked city-owned vehicles and patrol cars driven by an on-duty officer to go to bars?
- Is Commander Fitzgerald or any District Commander allowed to carry his weapon when consuming alcohol or while off-duty at a bar?
- Is Commander Fitzgerald or any District Commander required to carry his weapon while off duty?
- Does Commander Fitzgerald or any District Commander have written permission to be chaffered in MDP unmarked cars or patrol cars by on-duty officers while off duty or on duty? If any District Commander does have permission, please provide a copy of that written permission.
- How long has Commander Fitzgerald been using patrol cars to take him to bars?
- Who was driving FitzGerald to and back from the bar? Was it an on-duty Officer and one of Fitzgerald’s subordinates under his command?
- Does Chief Contee want to view a copy of the undercover video we have taken of Commander Fitzgerald? If so, we can set up a time and date for him to come to WJLA TV and view the video.
Contee only answered two of the 15 questions and had Dustin Sternbeck, his Director of Communications, respond to 7News first with this statement on Tuesday, March 8th.
“We recently learned that an MPD Commander was the subject of an investigative news story and were advised of his concerning behavior. Based on the information provided to us, our Internal Affairs Bureau initiated an investigation to determine the extent of any MPD policy, general order violations or unlawful behavior. Upon conclusion of our investigation, and once all facts have been obtained, we will take appropriate action.”
Thursday afternoon, March 10, Sternbeck sent this updated statement just hours before the I-Team investigation on Commander Fitzgerald first aired on 7 News.
“We recently learned that MPD’s Fifth District Commander William Fitzgerald was the subject of an investigative news story, and were advised of his concerning behavior. Based on the information provided to us, our Internal Affairs Bureau (IAB) initiated an investigation. Commander Fitzgerald has submitted his notice of retirement and has been placed on administrative leave until that date. This matter remains under investigation.”
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