Baltimore mayor fires police chief as murders continue to spike
Deputy police commissioner will step in as interim police commissioner
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has fired the city's police commissioner as murders continue to climb in the troubled town.
Anthony Batts already had faced a tumultuous 2015 after the death of Freddie Gray and the subsequent protests that briefly devolved into riots and looting.
Now, Mayor Rawlings-Blake has decided that parting ways with the city's top cop is the best option to help the city battle its rising murder rate.
Mr Batts will be replaced by Deputy Police Commissioner Kevin Davis as the force’s interim commissioner, Ms Rawlings-Blake announced.
The announcement of Mr Batt's departure comes the day a report was released that said the Baltimore response to the rioting was "lacking in many areas", according to Politico.
So far in 2015, Baltimore has 154 murders, more than double the number seen over the same period last year.
“Collectively, we will return this city back to normal,” Mr Batts said in June. “Together we’re here to collectively say we’re serious about this fight and we’re serious about bringing people to justice.”
Now, it is clear that Baltimore will be moving forward without him as it continues to work to return the city back to normal. Mr Batts had served as police commissioner since 2012, the Baltimore Sun reported.
Follow @PaytonGuion on Twitter.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments