The Baltimore Police deputy commissioner overseeing integrity and discipline, who was suspended this month amid a review of a misconduct allegation, has resigned, officials said.
Deputy Commissioner Brian Nadeau had been suspended since Sept. 15. Police officials had declined to characterize the nature of a complaint against him other than to say it did not arise from his work overseeing investigations, discipline or any cases.
Baltimore Police spokesperson Lindsey Eldridge confirmed the resignation but declined further comment, saying the issue was a “personnel matter.”
Eldridge added that Nadeau’s responsibilities would be carried out by some of his top deputies, who will for the time being report to the department’s chief of staff.
A spokesperson for Mayor Brandon Scott referred a request for comment to the police department.
City Council member John Bullock, the new chair of the council’s public safety committee, stressed that Nadeau’s position was key to efforts to reform the police department.
“Given the specter of what’s happening, it’s critical that he resigned,” Bullock said, adding that he would be “curious” to see what other details are released about Nadeau’s suspension.
Maryland State Police had been tapped to conduct the investigation into Nadeau.
Nadeau joined the Baltimore Police Department in 2019 after a two-decade career with the FBI.
The department brought Nadeau in to lead investigations into officers accused of misconduct and to help dole out discipline, as the division had been identified by federal authorities as one of the most dysfunctional branches of the historically troubled agency.
Nadeau testified at an April oversight hearing on the department’s federal consent decree that officers were now facing criminal charges for misconduct that used to be handled internally. He also said that most of the hundreds of backlogged internal cases related to an increase in charges for “minor training issues.”
Some officials viewed Nadeau as a change agent who brought needed reform to the department’s investigations into its officers.
He was, however, less popular with the agency’s rank and file, who have a reputation for being resistant to change.
Several current or former officers sued Nadeau, along with the department, alleging unfair discipline. The complaints, all ongoing and filed in the last two years, described the deputy commissioner as an overzealous leader who manipulated internal investigations to suit his purposes and imposed disparate punishment.
This story has been updated.




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