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By Sean Yoes, Baltimore AFRO Editor, [email protected]
Just days after Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh suspended Baltimore Police Commissioner Darryl De Sousa, Pugh has accepted De Sousa’s resignation.
“Today I received the resignation of Darryl De Sousa as Commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department and have accepted it. I have initiated a national search to identify the new Commissioner. In the meantime, Gary Tuggle will serve as Interim-Commissioner,” said Pugh in a statement.
“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.”
De Sousa was suspended by Pugh on May 11 after it was revealed he was federally charged with failing to file tax returns in 2013, 2014 and 2015, while he was a salaried employee of the Baltimore Police Department during those years. De Sousa faces a maximum of one year in prison and a $25,000 fine for each of the three misdemeanor counts.
De Sousa, a 30 year veteran of the Baltimore Police Department, was officially installed as police commissioner on Feb. 28, following the firing of former commissioner Kevin Davis in January.
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