In appointing a veteran commander as Baltimore's acting police commissioner, Mayor Martin O'Malley said yesterday that he wanted to provide stability for the department so that it could remain focused on crime fighting in coming months, and not become distracted by a search for a new leader.

"The only thing I will be searching for is crime reduction through this year and the first quarter of next year," O'Malley said at a news conference to announce his selection of John McEntee as acting commissioner. "We need to roar into the New Year."

Emphasizing a theme of continuity and stability, O'Malley credited McEntee -- a 30-year veteran who most recently was a deputy commissioner who ran the agency's day-to-day operations -- with helping to reduce crime during the past three years.

O'Malley declined to comment on the search for a permanent successor to former Commissioner Edward T. Norris, who departed last week to become the Maryland State Police superintendent.

Yesterday, McEntee talked about police strategies, such as flooding crime-troubled areas with police and studying crime trends in the first quarter of this year to help spot problems that could come up again early next year.

"We're going to continue what we were doing," he said, referring to the agency's Comstat program that uses computer data to analyze crime patterns and plot tactics.

McEntee's appointment as interim commissioner makes him a favorite to replace Norris, and many police officials and city leaders view the next few months as a tryout to determine whether he can handle the top job.

Some officials in City Hall and at police headquarters wonder how O'Malley will navigate the racial politics that have long been a part of who leads the police force. McEntee would be O'Malley's second white nominee for commissioner since the mayor took office in 1999.

But several City Council members said that race has taken a back seat to crime reduction during recent years. Most of their constituents are more concerned about further reducing crime in their neighborhoods than about the race of the top police official in town, the council members said.

"The majority of the African-American community is very satisfied with the reduction of crime," said Councilman Kwame Osayaba Abayomi.

Said Councilman Kenneth N. Harris Sr.: "I'm looking for someone who is effective and will move Baltimore forward in terms of our crime-fighting strategies."

City Council President Sheila Dixon and other council members said they would reserve judgment on McEntee's candidacy as a permanent appointment until they learn more about him.

Several others said they urged O'Malley to choose the department's deputy commissioner of administration, Kenneth Blackwell, an experienced commander and an African-American.

"Blackwell has gone through a lot of adversity within the department and hung in there," Councilman Keiffer J. Mitchell Jr. said. Blackwell attended yesterday's news conference with McEntee and O'Malley at police headquarters. He said he backed the mayor's decision.

"Continuity is the operative word," Blackwell said. "The only thing of great importance to me is that Commissioner McEntee gets the support he richly deserves. ... This is not about personal gain."

Officer Jeffrey Redd, president of the Vanguard Justice Society, an advocacy group of about 600 African-American city officers, said O'Malley should consider a minority for the full-time position.

"We have several members who are able and willing to do the job," he said.

Gary McLhinney, the departing president of the city police union, said he supported McEntee's appointment to acting commissioner.

"He's been here. He knows what works and what doesn't work, and he's respected," McLhinney said.

Sun staff writers Sean M. Cowherd and Matthew E. Kasper contributed to this article.