Harvard offers Davis a fellowship, but will he take it?

Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis formally announced his resignation this morning, saying he's done everything he set out to do - and more - in his seven years at BPD.

Davis said he's been offered a fellowship at Harvard, to start in January, but that he has several other offers to consider. He declined to say if any would involved moving to Washington, but said he'll still be around Boston. He said the diversity issue had absolutely nothing to do with his decision, that he remains proud of the numbers of minorities and women in his command staff. The department could do more, but remains hobbled by an outdated civil-service system, he said.

Davis singled out two cases that he's most proud of. One was the response to the Marathon bombings. The other was the 2012 arrest of a suspect for the 2008 murder of Northeastern student Rebecca Payne in her Mission Hill apartment.

Mayor Menino issued a statement:

Over the past seven years, Ed Davis has served the people of Boston with integrity, a steady hand, and compassion. Under the Commissioner’s watch, serious and violent crime in the City of Boston has decreased substantially. His focus on community policing has empowered our residents and increased community trust, positioning our officers as residents’ allies in making our neighborhoods safer. During some of our City’s most trying days, Commissioner Davis worked relentlessly to protect the safety of all our citizens.

On behalf of the entire City of Boston, I thank Commissioner Davis for his leadership and tireless commitment to improve the quality of life for the people of Boston. We will work together over the coming days to ensure a smooth transition as a new mayor is elected and appoints his or her own Commissioner for the Boston Police Department.