BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Weeks after a union of black police officers called for her resignation, Baltimore City police’s top lawyer quit Wednesday to take a high-ranking job in the administration of Gov. Martin O’Malley.

Karen Hornig, the police department’s chief legal counsel, said clashes with opponents had nothing to do with her decision.

“When great opportunities come along, you have to take them,” she said, adding that working for the police department was a “fabulous job.”

Hornig will become an associate deputy to Insurance Commissioner Ralph Tyler, a former Baltimore City solicitor.

Baltimore Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld said Hornig would be hard to replace.

“Public safety isn’t just about police with badges and guns,” he said. “She played a very important part in making Baltimore safe.”

In March, the Vanguard Justice Society, a black officers’ group, called for Hornig’s ouster after a black sergeant was charged administratively with a sex offense prosecutors say he couldn’t have committed. The sergeant’s lawyer alleged Hornig orchestrated the false charges as retribution for his refusal to drop a $1.5 million defamation lawsuit against the police department.

Hornig, the department’s top lawyer for two years, said she’s worked hard to avoid settling suits against the agency.

“I’m proud of the work we’ve done here,” she said. “When I took over we had eight jury trials [a year]. Last year, we have 26 -- and we won 64 percent of them.”

Such victories were difficult in a city where juries often are biased against police, she said.

“We’ve been a whole lot more reluctant to settle cases,” she said. “You’re not going to win any cases if you don’t try them. It isn’t always an easy sell in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City. We’re two touchdowns behind before they flip the coin to start the game.”

lbroadwater@baltimoreexaminer.com