This is severely interesting:

UPDATE – Here’s Video

In a short statement sent to The Baltimore Sun, Rawlings-Blake’s office said: “Effective immediately, Deputy Police Commissioner Kevin Davis will become Interim Commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department.”

It’s unclear whether Batts resigned or was fired. Rawlings-Blake and Davis will hold a news conference at 4:15 p.m.

Earlier in the day two reports flowed from Baltimore.  FIRST – The Fraternal Order of Police released its “after action report” on the police response to rioting in the city, including recommendations for how the situation could have been better managed by police commanders:

The rioting following the death of Freddie Gray was “preventable,” with the police response hindered by leadership that was concerned with image over safety, the city police union charged in a report released Wednesday.

The union, which collected accounts from officers, concluded that the “overwhelming sentiment of officers is that the Baltimore Police Department’s response to the riot was lacking in many areas.”

“Officers characterized the Baltimore Police Department’s leadership during the riots as unprepared, politically motivated, uncaring and confusing,” union President Gene Ryan said at a news conference.

Ryan said morale “has suffered greatly,” but officers compiled the report because they “do not want to see Baltimore burn again.”

Officials at the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 3, which represents more than 2,500 sworn officers, have been critical of decisions made by top police commanders during the unrest — including orders for officers to hold their lines rather than break off in smaller numbers to confront individuals causing damage or representing a threat to officer safety.

[The report] also comes ahead of an expected call for Batts’ resignation on Thursday from the Baltimore-based faith coalition Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development, which said in a statement Wednesday that it had lost confidence in the commissioner’s ability to stop the recent surge in violence in the city (read more)

Baltimore Sun Live – Blog of Events HERE

The police chief has scheduled a press conference for 4:150pm EST

My hunch is that initially the Mayor was going to support her Police Chief, but the FOP has much more on the events than Rawlings-Blake is comfortable with allowing out.  Ergo she is in political damage control mode….  Sinking ships, rats, etc.