Days after he was charged for failing to file his federal and state taxes for three consecutive years, Baltimore Police Commissioner Darryl De Sousa has resigned.
Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh accepted the resignation on Tuesday and has placed Gary Tuggle in the role on an interim basis.
On May 10th, De Sousa admitted he did not pay his taxes, but vowed to correct the issue quickly as to not be a distraction in his role as Commissioner. On May 14th, he was placed on paid suspension by Pugh and De Sousa resigned only one day later.
In a written statement, Pugh says,
I want to reassure all Baltimoreans that this development in no way alters our strategic efforts to reduce crime by addressing its root causes in our most neglected neighborhoods. This broad-based, grassroots approach - underpinned by the utilization of new crime-fighting technology - is working and will continue to be effective as indicated by the downward trend in violence. The Baltimore Police command staff is fully committed to bringing about the reforms to the practices and culture of the department that we are implementing and which are vital to ensuring the trust and confidence of all our citizens.
On January 19, 2018, Pugh fired then-Commissioner Kevin Davis, who had been hired by former Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake in 2015. De Sousa was a 30-year veteran of the Baltimore Police Department, having joined the force in 1988 after growing up in New York City.
Source: FOX Baltimore
Photo Credit: Twitter