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BALTIMORE, MD –BALTIMORE, MD – “I was informed earlier today by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake that Police Commissioner Anthony Batts would be stepping aside, effective immediately, and would be replaced on an interim basis by Deputy Commissioner Kevin Davis.

I worked closely with Commissioner Batts and always found him open to my ideas for reforming the department. He was engaging, experienced, and served our city to the best of his ability.

But as I’ve recently crisscrossed the city, connecting one-on-one with citizens and members of our police force, it became increasingly clear that a growing lack of confidence in the direction of our city’s crime-fighting strategy had the potential to severely damage the long-term health of our city.

As we continue to engage in the difficult and transformative work of reforming the practices and procedures of our police department, and institute a concrete community policing strategy, we must do everything in our power to quickly restore the trust of our uniformed officers, and the members of the public they are sworn to protect and serve. 

I look forward to working alongside Interim Commissioner Davis as we build a stronger Baltimore.”