Baltimore’s new police leader faces numerous challenges

BALTIMORE – The new leader of the Baltimore Police Department is pledging to fight violent crime by putting more uniformed officers on the streets, an effort he says is already underway.

Darryl DeSousa, who was tapped Friday to replace Commissioner Kevin Davis, said at a news conference that additional uniformed officers began rolling out that morning.

DeSousa says he has a message for “the trigger pullers.” He says “we’re coming after them.”

DeSousa, a 30-year veteran of the force who rose through the ranks, emphasized that all policing would be done in a “constitutional manner.”

Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh says she replaced Davis because she was “impatient” that efforts to reduce crime weren’t moving more quickly.

Baltimore ended 2017 with 343 killings, bringing the annual homicide rate to its highest ever — roughly 56 killings per 100,000 people.