Norristown Police Chief Jacqueline Bailey-Davis resigns after almost 1 year in role
NORRISTOWN Pa. - Norristown Police Chief Jacqueline Bailey-Davis has resigned effective immediately, Norristown officials say.
Bailey-Davis resigned just shy of her one-year work-anniversary as she had served in the position since Jan. 2, 2024.
She made history by becoming the first woman to lead the department.
Bailey-Davis was placed on administrative leave earlier this month.
Norristown Council did not offer any answer regarding the situation in a previous packed meeting. However, the council president-at-large told FOX 29 off-camera it is a personnel matter that cannot be discussed publicly.
Controversy in Norristown surrounding council, police chief as residents seek answers
A police controversy in Montgomery County has residents questioning why their police chief – the first woman to hold the position – was put on leave after less than a year on the job.
But a resident who spoke during public comment criticized the council for its handling of the matter involving Dr. Jacqueline Bailey-Davis.
"Transparency quickly dissipates when it's maybe a topic that's not desirable, it's difficult, it's challenging or you happen to disagree with your constituents. That is cool. We can agree to disagree but to deny us the transparency is where mistrust comes in," said the woman.
That resident also spoke before the council about a municipal-wide assessment she says was done through an independent audit in which she says council requested a more in-depth audit on the police department. She said out of the audit came 97 recommendations the police chief was allegedly implementing.
The council is not required to respond to public comments during council meetings.
Daily operations are set to continue as normal within the police department during the transition period to find a new police chief.
The police chief leads the Norristown Police Department’s force of approximately 100 sworn personnel and civilian staff who work to protect over 35,000 residents of the municipality.