TOWSON, MD—Col. Robert McCullough was sworn in as the new Chief of the Baltimore County Police Department on Tuesday.

Chief McCullough was sworn in at a 2 p.m. ceremony at the Randallstown Community Center, flanked by various elected officials including Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski.

The Baltimore County Council voted unanimously to confirm McCullough as Chief of Police on Monday evening.

A 35-year veteran of the department, McCullough is the first African-American to lead the nation’s 21st largest police agency.

He rejoins the department after retiring as a Colonel and Operations Bureau Chief in 2021. Over his 35-year career, McCullough, who started as a cadet at the age of 18, and became a patrol officer in the North Point Precinct upon graduating from the police academy, has served in a number of senior leadership roles, including Bureau Chief of Criminal Investigations, Eastern Patrol Division Commander, Captain of the Wilkens Precinct, and the department’s Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Commander. During the COVID-19 pandemic, McCullough managed contact tracing for the entire agency and served as the liaison to the Health Commissioner.

A Baltimore County resident for over 30 years, McCullough has received formal education through Johns Hopkins University’s Police Executive Leadership Program, Northwestern University Center for Public Safety’s School of Police Staff and Command, and the Senior Management Institute for Police, through the Police Executive Research Forum. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science and a Master’s of Science in Management from Johns Hopkins University.

McCullough was nominated to serve as Chief of Police by County Executive Olszewski earlier this month.

More in the video below.

Chief Robert McCullough takes the Oath of Office, making the 35-year @BaltCoPolice veteran Baltimore County’s first African-American Police Chief. pic.twitter.com/zko1ol11iS

— Baltimore County (@BaltCoGov) April 18, 2023