DENVER — Joel Fitzgerald Sr., who has served as Chief of Police for the Regional Transportation District for two years, is “no longer employed” by the agency, RTD confirmed to Denver7 Friday afternoon.
Fitzgerald was quietly placed on leave on July 1, in a decision that wasn’t made public until weeks later. Denver7 Investigates pressed RTD for answers about the decision but the agency dodged our questions.
RTD leadership would only say the decision to put Fitzgerald on leave was a “personnel matter,” with board member Bobby Dishell adding that “the Chief is innocent until proven otherwise."
"I can't say anything right now, but there will be a day when we can talk,” Fitzgerald told Denver7 Investigates at the time, adding he was looking forward to getting back to work.
- Watch the tense moment when Denver7 Chief Investigator Tony Kovaleski pressed RTD leadership at a July news conference, weeks after Fitzgerald had been placed on leave:
In a brief statement sent to Denver7 Friday, RTD thanked Fitzgerald for his two years of service and said it would announce its plans for an interim chief “in the coming days.”
Fitzgerald was named RTD’s top cop in August of 2022. Denver7 Investigates sources said he was the highest-paid chief in the Denver metro.
He previously served in the Waterloo, Iowa police department. Prior to that, he was the police chief in Fort Worth, Texas, but was fired from that post in 2019. He claimed he was fired while investigating corruption in City Hall. He later filed a lawsuit and was paid millions in a settlement over his firing.
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.