BALTIMORE, Md. — Baltimore City has lost one of its favorite sons.
West Baltimore native and Poly grad Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Anthony Barksdale passed away Thursday night, per Mayor Brandon Scott.
"Tony Barksdale was the epitome of what it means to be a public servant — but more importantly, he was a standard bearer of what it means to be a good man," says Mayor Scott.
"For three-plus decades, he served his city with one purpose: to make it safer for all Baltimoreans. He never veered from that mission, whether as a patrol officer, Deputy Commissioner, Acting Commissioner, or Deputy Mayor. I had the pleasure of learning at his side for nearly two decades, and I am eternally grateful for all that I learned from him and the brotherly bond we built. My heart goes out to his family and all of us who had the pleasure of working with him. Baltimore is better because a boy from West Baltimore made it his mission to make it safer."
According to the Mayor's Office, Barksdale oversaw the polices and operations of various departments, including the Baltimore Police Department, the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE), and the Baltimore City Fire Department (BCFD).
He also coordinated the implementation of the Mayor’s Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan (CVPP) in partnership with MONSE.
Before assuming this role in July 2022, Barksdale had been serving Charm City since 1993, when he joined the Baltimore City Police.
Throughout his journey, he made his presence felt at the department and eventually became the Commissioner of Operations in 2007.
From 2007 to 2012, he created and led the city's crime plan, yielding historic lows of arrests and homicides.
