Anthony Batts

Anthony W. Batts (born 1960) is the former Police Commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department, the eighth largest municipal police department in the United States.[1]

Anthony Batts
Commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department
In office September 27, 2012 – July 8, 2015
Governor	Martin O'Malley Larry Hogan
Chief of the Oakland Police Department
In office 2009 – October 2011
Governor	Arnold Schwarzenegger
Long Beach Police Department
In office 2002 – October 2009
Governor	Gray Davis Arnold Schwarzenegger
Personal details
Born	1960 (age 59–60) Washington D.C., U.S.
Police career
Service years	Baltimore (2012–2015), Oakland (2009–2011)
Rank	Commissioner (Baltimore) Chief of Police (Oakland) Chief of Police (Long Beach)

Early life and education

Batts was born in Washington D.C. and lived there until he was 5 years old when his family relocated to Los Angeles.[2] He grew up in the Adams Boulevard corridor where he claimed to have experienced the dysfunctionality of gangs, violence, drugs, and prostitution.[2]

Batts has earned a Doctorate in Public Administration, a Master in Business Management, and a Bachelor of Science in Law Enforcement Administration.[1]

Career

2000s

Batts was chief of police for the Californian cities of Oakland and Long Beach. He worked in the Long Beach Police Department for 27 years,[3] rising to Chief of Police in 2002.[4] Under Batts, homicides decreased 45% and overall crime decreased 13% in Long Beach.[5] The drop in violent crime rate in the city was the lowest in nearly 40 years.[6] He led the police department for seven years.

Batts has said that he was motivated to seek the Oakland Chief of Police job by the aftermath of the killing of four Oakland police officers in March 2009.[7] He was appointed Chief of Police in late 2009 and remained in the position until October 2011. Despite limited resource allocation in Oakland, he again led the department to achieve significant reductions in violent crime.[8]

2010s

After a brief period in a research post at Harvard, Batts became the police commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department on September 27, 2012.[9] During his tenure in Baltimore, his team was able to implement reforms that led to dramatic reductions in all metrics used to assess police performance, including overall declines in all Part I crime numbers, excessive force objections, and citizen complaints.[10]

On July 8, 2015, Batts was fired from the Baltimore Police Department in the aftermath of a spike in homicide rates weeks after the 2015 Baltimore riots.[11] Reports also cited the controversial handling of Freddie Gray's arrest as the cause of Batt's removal.[12] Gray died in police custody.[13]

Batts has received various awards and commendations for heroism, crime reduction, community activism, and innovative programs, including California State University Long Beach Alumni of the Year, Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Citizen Award in the cities of Long Beach and Oakland, and Leadership Long Beach Alumnus of the Year. Batts was also honored by the Anti-Defamation League for community outreach efforts to erase antisemitism, bigotry, and other such intolerances. He has served on the following boards: Long Beach Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees; Board of Governors for Long Beach City College; Board of Directors for the Boy Scouts of America; and the Long Beach Children’s Clinic.[1]

Personal life

Batts's former wife is Laura Richardson, a Californian Democrat and former member of the United States House of Representatives.[14]

References

1. "Commissioner Anthony W. Batts (Ret.), D.P.A." Police Foundation. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
2. Fenton, Justin (September 22, 2012). "New Baltimore Police Commissioner Batts seeks fresh start". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
3. "LB Police Foundation plans farewell dinner for Chief Anthony Batts". Everything Long Beach. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
4. "City of Long Beach". Longbeach.gov. Archived from the original on May 24, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
5. Archived 21 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine
6. McKinley, Jesse (2009-10-15). "New Oakland Police Chief Inherits a Force, and a City, in Turmoil". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
7. "Oakland officers' killings led Batts to job". SFGate.com. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
8. Morris, Scott (2019-09-04). "How Oakland Has Seen A Big Drop in Crime — Without More Police". Medium. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
9. Baltimore Sun (August 27, 2012). "Baltimore police commissioner expected to be former Oakland chief - Baltimore Sun". Baltimoresun.com. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
10. "Commissioner Anthony W. Batts (Ret.), D.P.A." National Police Foundation. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
11. "Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts to be replaced". Cbsnews.com. July 8, 2015. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
12. Cassie, Ron (2015-07-08). "Mayor Fires Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts". Baltimore magazine. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
13. George, Justin. "Former police commissioner: Mosby 'incompetent' and 'vindictive'". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
14. "RICHARDSON , Laura | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". history.house.gov. Retrieved 2016-07-12.

External links

• Appearances on C-SPAN
  • Q&A interview with Batts, c-span.org, March 1, 2015.

Police appointments
Preceded by Wayne Tucker	Chief of the Oakland Police Department 2009–2011	Succeeded by Howard Jordan
Preceded by Frederick H. Bealefeld III	Baltimore Police Department Commissioner 2012–2015	Succeeded by Kevin Davis