At the time of hearing Thomas Fitzgerald was a Detective Superintendent, the Director of the Criminal Investigation Branch and the most senior investigator in the New Zealand Police. Detective Superintendent Fitzgerald gave evidence about the Police policies and procedures in place from 2002 - 2010 during the Police investigation into complaints about the Lake Alice Child and Adolescent Unit. This included an overview of an investigation into historic allegations, and the relevant sexual assault investigation policies. As the only witness currently employed by and representing the Police at the public hearing, Detective Superintendent Fitzgerald also gave evidence about the previous 1977 police investigation and the work on the Lake Alice file following the 2010 decision not to prosecute, up until January 2020 when a new police investigation was launched.