Baltimore County will have a Black police chief for the first time if the county council approves County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr.’s nominee, retired county police Col. Robert McCullough.
Olszewski’s choice follows a national search and interviews by a panel that selected finalists. McCullough would replace interim chief Dennis Delp, who has led the department since former chief Melissa Hyatt’s departure in late 2022.
“He is the right chief, at the right moment, to help lead the Baltimore County Police Department into the future,” Olszewski said at a news conference Friday. “He has consistently demonstrated his leadership during challenging times and during sensitive situations.”
A military veteran, McCullough retired in 2021 as operations bureau chief after a 35-year career with the Baltimore County Police. When he started as an 18-year-old cadet in 1985, he was one of just two Black cadets in his class at the time, he told The Baltimore Sun in 2015. There were fewer than 80 Black officers in the force then, McCullough said Friday.
McCullough also worked as bureau chief of criminal investigations, the commander of the Eastern Patrol Division and as the department’s Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Commander, Olszewski said in a news release, in addition to leading the agency’s COVID-19 contact tracing.
A 30-year resident of Baltimore County, McCullough holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in management from Johns Hopkins University.
He became emotional at Friday’s news conference as he reflected on the significance of taking the position.
“When I became a cadet in May of 1985, some would say for the chance for someone who looked like me, an 18-year-old kid from West Baltimore, to become chief of police in Baltimore County, was less than zero,” he said. McCullough said he would encourage a culture of excellence in the agency and work to “restore the collective sense of safety.”
Democratic Council Chairman Julian Jones Jr., who sat on a panel that interviewed candidates and recommended finalists to Olszewski, said McCullough’s nomination as the first Black chief was “making history.”
“We should certainly recognize it, and congratulate him,” Jones said. “At the same time, he is well deserving of the job.”
He said McCullough was well-respected in the department and had the right temperament for the role. The council will vote on McCullough’s nomination April 17, Jones said.
The union representing Baltimore County officers, the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 4, publicly sparred with Hyatt, issuing a vote of no-confidence in her leadership in May. A representative chosen by the union, retired Baltimore County officer Don Bridges, was on the panel that recommended finalists to Olszewski.
The FOP’s vice president, Lt. Dave Sweren, said he expects the union to have a better relationship with McCullough than it did with Hyatt, a longtime Baltimore City officer who became the county’s first female chief in 2019.
“He already knows the leadership, or lack thereof. He knows the things he has to do,” Sweren said. “The membership should be very optimistic that we will have somebody that understands our needs.”
Tony Fugett, a former president of the Baltimore County NAACP, said when McCullough was named colonel, he became the department’s first Black colonel since Johnny Whitehead, who retired in 1997. Whitehead also was the county’s first Black police captain.
“It was significant,” Fugett said in an interview. “What the administration had been telling us is it took time for someone to get into the ranks and work their way up to colonel. They were knocking folks off at the captain and lieutenant level, so they were never getting to colonel or major.”
The Blue Guardians, a group representing Baltimore County officers of color, has said they want the next chief to prioritize developing internal Black candidates and promoting them to leadership roles, as well as adding new Black hires.
“It’s long overdue for a Black candidate for chief of police,” said Blue Guardians President Shelley Knox. Knox, a Baltimore County officer, said she was looking forward to discussing increasing the agency’s diversity with a chief who has experienced the department culture.
“I’m hopeful that we can break up some of the good old boy network and show some equity for everyone in the police department,” she said.
About 15.5% of the police force’s sworn members were Black and the rest were white, as of June, according to the department. The county’s population is nearly one-third Black, according to census data.
The Sun requested more recent racial demographics of the police department and its leadership ranks on Tuesday, repeating a previous request from January. The police department has not yet fulfilled the request.
Danita Tolson, who is president of the Baltimore County NAACP Branch and served on the panel involved in the chief search, said her organization will be watching to see how McCullough engages with schools, churches and other community groups.
“We’re excited to have someone who looks like us and hopefully relates to the community,” Tolson said.
“Just because he’s Black does not eliminate him from meeting our standards,” she said. “We want to work with him, we want to better things. If he does not, we will hold him accountable.”
Ryan Coleman, the president of the Randallstown NAACP, said it was “past time” for the county police to have an African-American chief.
“We look forward to working with Chief McCullough on these diversity issues and making sure the police department makes a culture that’s more inclusive for women and African-Americans, while making Baltimore County one of the safest counties in Maryland,” Coleman said.
Baltimore Sun reporter Lia Russell contributed to this article.
