The spike in violent crime in Baltimore, community concerns about police brutality and an approaching mayoral election could make the search for the city’s next police commissioner a tall task — but it could also make the job appealing to a candidate up to the challenge, law enforcement professionals and analysts told the Baltimore Sun. “It will be a daunting task,” said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum. The think tank assisted in the search that brought Anthony W. Batts to the city in 2012.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake fired Batts Wednesday amid growing calls for his resignation from members of the City Council and the community. The mayor appointed Deputy Commissioner Kevin Davis, who joined the department in January, to hold the position on an interim basis. Davis, who headed the Anne Arundel County Police Department before coming to Baltimore, said Thursday that he “certainly” wants the job permanently. A spokesman said the mayor hasn’t settled on her next steps in finding a replacement, but she will listen to what neighborhood leaders and city activists say they want in the next police commissioner.