Baltimore Police Commissioner Edward T. Norris is a top choice to become the next state police superintendent, a high-ranking official in the transition team of Gov.-elect Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. confirmed last night.
"He is a very highly considered candidate," the source said, responding to widespread talk in the city Police Department that Norris would leave for the state job soon after Ehrlich is sworn in next month.
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said no formal job offer has been made to Norris.
Sources close to the commissioner said he is seriously considering taking the job if it is offered.
Rumors about Norris departing for the state police post surfaced last month when he attended Ehrlich's victory party in downtown Baltimore. Norris is a longtime Republican but registered as an independent when he moved to Baltimore.
The move could be viewed as a step up for Norris after nearly three years as commissioner, because he would have authority over a large and prominent state agency. But it would take him out of his accustomed element of urban crime-fighting and put him in charge of a department of about 1,600 troopers involved largely in traffic enforcement and rural police work. The city has about 3,300 police officers.
Others under consideration for the post include: Col. Douglas DeLeaver, chief of the Maryland Transit Police, a longtime Ehrlich friend and father of Ehrlich spokeswoman Shareese N. DeLeaver; Del. Thomas E. Hutchins, a Charles County Republican and former state trooper; and Montgomery County Police Chief Charles A. Moose, who became nationally known in coordinating this fall's sniper crisis.
Norris, 42, was a New York City police commander when Mayor Martin O'Malley hired him early in 2000 to spearhead his crime-reduction strategy, and has been credited by city officials with helping reduce violent crime.
During his first year as commissioner, Norris emphasized a straightforward approach to crime, dismantling many programs that he believed had taken officers away from the front line. He and O'Malley pushed for raises for officers, at the expense of cuts and layoffs in other agencies.
On July 11, the city Board of Estimates approved a boost to Norris' pension worth $100,000, to encourage him to remain as police commissioner at least until Jan. 1, 2004. Those "golden handcuffs" were designed to discourage Norris from accepting other jobs.
Sun staff writers Johnathon E. Briggs and Richard Irwin contributed to this article.