Annapolis Mayor Jared Littmann announced Monday that he removed the city’s police chief from command, citing “differing approaches to management.”

Former Police Chief Edward Jackson had held the job since August 2019. Reached Monday, he declined to comment.

Littmann appointed Capt. Amy Miguez to acting chief, city officials said.

Littmann said he admired a lot of the work that Jackson had done as chief, but said it would be tough to get into the details of the “differing approaches.”

In an interview, the mayor said he was looking for a police chief who could “modernize” and “bring new energy” to the department.

“I felt like it was time for a change,” said Littmann, who took office in December. “I want to start fresh with someone I can work well with and has the same vision for the future, and isn’t focused on what’s happened in the past.”

The city will prioritize hiring a city manager before starting a search for a new police chief, Littmann said. Victoria Buckland has been acting city manager since May 2025.

Part of the reason to hire the city manager first, Littmann said, is so they can have input in the search for a police chief.

Jackson was asked to resign last week, and he asked to have until Monday to consider it, Littmann said. When Jackson declined to resign, the mayor relieved him of his command, Littmann said.

The change had to take effect immediately, Littmann said, because there cannot be any ambiguity in who is in charge of the Police Department.

“It was effective immediately because it’s the police chief, not because it was Ed Jackson,” he said.

Littmann said he’d look for a police chief who has experience with a diverse workforce and boosting employee morale, someone up to date on the latest policing technology and who can communicate well with city officials and the public.

“The police chief is one of the most difficult roles [in a local government], in the expertise it requires ... the position is inherently controversial,” Littmann said, because the chief will make decisions that satisfy some but alienate others.

In the interim, Littmann said he has full confidence in Miguez. Littmann said he worked with Miguez during his time as a city alderman. Miguez has an “excellent grasp on issues in the city,” Littmann said.

“She’s got the trust of the community and her peers,” he said.

Miguez started as a police dispatcher with the Annapolis Police Department in 2000, city officials said in a news release, and has “steadily risen through the ranks.”

In a statement, she said she was grateful for Jackson’s mentorship.

“Chief Jackson’s leadership opened doors at the Annapolis Police Department and strengthened a culture that values equity and opportunity,” Miguez said. “His support for a workforce that reflects the community we serve made it possible for leaders like me to step forward.”

Jonathan Williams, a spokesperson for UFCW Local 400, which represents the police department, applauded the move in an emailed statement.

“We welcome the change in leadership and look forward to working with Acting Chief Miguez to restore trust and confidence in the department,” Williams wrote.

The police union voted 54-30 in August 2024 to endorse a vote of no confidence in Jackson. The union said that members had been retaliated against for raising issues with management, and that members had a “litany” of concerns with the department’s leadership, among other issues.

At the time, Jackson said he would continue to focus on keeping Annapolis safe and that he was “extremely proud of the work our officers have done here.”

Agency shuffling

Alderman Rob Savidge, the longest-tenured member of the City Council, said he supports the decision to bring in a new chief.

Savidge said he’s had concerns that there was an “adversarial approach” in the department between command officers and staff.

Jackson made some improvements on crime and public safety, Savidge said, but he’d like to see some “reconciling” in the department.

“We have a new council, new administration, it’s important to make sure we’re moving forward together,” Savidge said.

Alderman Harry Huntley, who represents Ward 1 on the council, said he thinks it makes sense that the mayor is bringing in new leadership.

And for now, he said, the city “couldn’t ask for a better person to be at the helm than Amy [Miguez].”

And Alderwoman Karma O’Neill said it wasn’t unusual for a new administration to change personnel, and said she supported Littmann’s efforts to hire directors “who most closely align with his expectations, goals and objectives for his term.”

“Mayor Littmann is process oriented and I am confident the new police chief will be aligned with his goals,” she said.

Littmann is reshaping city government in places other than the Police Department. Shortly after the mayor was sworn in, the Annapolis city attorney, who had been in his job for six years, left his post.

Last week, the city’s human resources director, Tricia Hopkins, announced her retirement after 13 years in city government. Also last week, the city announced that its acting finance director, Jake Trudeau, would leave city employment but stay on as a contractor to help with the transition.

Brittany Moran resigned from her position as finance director in November. In late January, city officials said they were in the final stages of hiring a deputy finance director and would start recruiting for a finance director soon.

Littmann said he was happy for the chance to fill those high-level positions, and said chief of police “falls in that same top-tier category.”

Banner reporter Alex Mann contributed to this story.