Police Commissioner Leonard D. Hamm's resignation leaves the Baltimore Police Department without a leader at an especially challenging time -- less than two months before the mayoral primary election, as the city struggles with a surge in homicides and shootings.
Mayor Sheila Dixon is expected to name Frederick H. Bealefeld III to temporarily take over the 3,000-officer department, according to sources, and he is a potential contender for the permanent job, which likely won't be filled until after the Sept. 11 primary.
Bealefeld, a 26-year veteran, was tapped to be deputy commissioner of operations in February and has been a visible and vocal member of the department ever since.
As the No. 2 man in the department, Bealefeld is frank, at times emotional, often expressing outrage at the seemingly senseless crime in the city.
"This is exactly what's happening in the city, all over the place," said Bealefeld in June when a 4-year-old boy was hit by a stray bullet. "Just mindless, crazy shooting incidents that are occurring right now."
Previously, Bealefeld was chief of the Criminal Investigation Division, overseeing 300 detectives and employees who investigated cases of violence, property crime, sex offense and missing persons.
The interim chief will take over at a critical time. The city has had 177 homicides this year, putting Baltimore on pace to exceed 300 homicides for the first time since 1999. Nonfatal shootings are up more than 30 percent. Police morale is low, and the Fraternal Order of Police is set to begin contract negotiations soon.
Furthermore, the department is still adjusting to a drastic shift in policing strategies that took place when Dixon was elevated to mayor in January after Martin O'Malley became governor.
Dixon moved away from O'Malley's zero-tolerance policy, which had led to mass arrests for sometimes minor crimes, and moved to more foot patrols, community outreach and targeted enforcement of the city's most violent offenders.
Jeffrey Ian Ross, a criminologist at the University of Baltimore, said for a department used to a high turnover rate for its commissioner, the impact of replacing Hamm should be minimal. "Most large departments can operate reasonably well, sort of like on autopilot," said Ross. "I'm assuming that these people are reasonably capable and that they can manage the department in the interim."
