yet Marilyn Mosby still has a jobMayor Catherine Pugh fired police commissioner Kevin Davis on Friday, citing the need to get a handle on Baltimore’s record levels of violence.
Deputy Commissioner Darryl D. DeSousa, the top commander in the police department’s patrol bureau, will take Davis’ place, effectively immediately. Pugh said his appointment will be eventually made permanent.
After 2017 ended with a historic 343 homicides, the mayor said she decided a change of police leadership was necessary.
"As I have made clear, reducing violence and restoring the confidence of our citizens in their police officers is my highest priority," Pugh said in a statement. "The fact is, we are not achieving the pace of progress that our residents have every right to expect in the weeks since we ended what was nearly a record year for homicides in the city of Baltimore."
Davis could not immediately be reached for comment.
DeSousa, at a morning news conference with Pugh, said he "has a lot of respect" for Davis and wishes him well. He also said he knows city residents are "frustrated and they want answers and they want change, and it’s going to happen."
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He said a new initiative, in the works for weeks, began Friday morning to send a "surplus of officers" in waves to target hot spots, major traffic corridors and "violent repeat offenders" in order to drive down violence