1034 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 429

Police Commissioner and as Police Commissioner shall be
not less than twenty-five (25) years. He shall be subject
to removal by the Governor for official misconduct or in-
copmpetency in the manner provided by law in the case of
civil officers; he shall receive a salary of ten thousand dol-
lars ($10, 000. 00) per annum, payable quarterly, until
December 31, 1949, and thereafter he shall receive a salary
of twelve thousand five hundred dollars ($12, 500. 00) per
annum, payable quarterly. The said Commissioner shall not
be eligible to an elective or appointed office during the term
for which he was appointed. Before entering upon the duties
of his office, the Commissioner shall enter into bond to the
State of Maryland, with one or more sureties, in the penalty
of. ten thousand dollars ($10, 000. 00), conditioned for the
faithful discharge of his duties as such Commissioner;
said bond to be approved by the Judge of the Superior
Court of the City of Baltimore, and to be kept and
recorded by the clerk of said Court, in the office thereof,
together with the certificate of appointment as aforesaid,
and shall also take and subscribe before the said Judge
of the Superior Court, or the clerk thereof, the oath or
affirmation prescribed by the sixth section of the first
article of the Constitution, and the further oath or affir-
mation, that in every appointment, promotion, reduction
in rank or removal to be made by him, in or from the
police force created and organized under this sub-division
of this Article, he will in no case, and under no pretext,
appoint, promote, reduce in rank or remove any policeman
or officer of police, or detective, or any other person under
him, for or on account of the political opinions or affilia-
tions of such policeman, officer, detective or other person
or for any other cause or reason than the fitness or unfit-
ness of such person, in the best judgment of said Com-
missioner for the place to which he shall be appointed,
or from which he shall be removed, and the said oath or
affirmation shall be recorded and preserved among the
records of said Court.

The said Police Commissioner shall have and exercise
all the powers exercised by the Board of Police Commis-
sioners of Baltimore City and wherever the term or ex-
pression "Board of Police Commissioners" is used in any
of the public local or public general laws of this State, such
term or expression shall be construed as applying to the
Police Commissioner created by this section.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall
take effect June 1, 1949.

Approved April 29, 1949.