Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, September 18, 2015

This week, I announced that I will ask the Baltimore City Council to confirm Kevin Davis as our city’s next permanent Police Commissioner.

During his two months as interim commissioner, I have been pleased by the energy, innovative ideas and determination that he has brought to the job. Commissioner Davis has been able to gain the trust of the rank-and-file officers, and we are seeing that through increased activity – more arrests, more guns off the street, and enhanced cooperation and coordination with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners. He has also taken the necessary steps to better prepare our officers for potential demonstrations related to court hearings in the death of Freddie Gray.

Since making my announcement, I have had dinner with the presidents of our nine Community Relations Councils (representing the nine police districts), met with a number of our city’s clergy leaders, and participated in a telephone town hall with thousands of residents. Over and over, I have heard that Commissioner Davis seems to be everywhere.  Residents tell me how he is approachable and engaging as he seeks to hear their concerns and find ways that the Baltimore Police Department can address them. For those of you who have joined us for the four Public Safety Forums that we had held in recent weeks, I trust that you have made similar observations.
I have been encouraged by the conversations that I have had so far with City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young and other members of the Council regarding the permanent appointment of Commissioner Davis, and I look forward to working with the Council as it moves through the confirmation process. I am confident that the Council will ultimately agree that Commissioner Davis is the right choice for our fight against crime.

This originally appeared in the Rawlings-Blake Review. If you do not receive the Mayor's weekly newsletter, subscribe here.