Hawkeye Reporter

Waterloo's first Black police chief is facing criticism and opposition following new changes made to the police department earlier this month.

Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald and the City Council decided to remove a department insignia first put on officer uniform patches in the 1960s that resembled a Ku Klux Klan dragon, according to NewsOne. Now, that decision has led to opposition within his own police force. 

"Why Yall MAD: Waterloo's first Black police chief was slammed with criticism after he pushed for an emblem resembling the KKK's dragon insignia removed from officer's patches," one Twitter user said in a tweet addressing the changes. 

Fitzgerald's decisions have garnered criticism from both Waterloo's police union and three former Waterloo police chiefs, who released a letter claiming the department was "'imploding' and that morale had hit an all-time low within the police force," according to BET. 

He has also faced backlash from a white City Council member who is running against Quentin Hart, the city’s first Black mayor, with hopes of unseating him. Should the City Council member succeed, she has already vowed to oust Fitzgerald if elected, according to BET. 

Fitzgerald became Waterloo’s first Black police chief in 2019, where he has succeeded in making numerous changes to the police force that have only accumulated into the recent outrage he has faced. However, Fitzgerald is no stranger to being Black within the police force, having begun his career in law enforcement 29 years ago in 1992, according to NewsOne.