Batts was born in Washington D.C. and lived there until he was 5 years old when his family relocated to Los Angeles. He grew up in the Adams Boulevard corridor where he claimed to have experienced the dysfunctionality of gangs, violence, drugs, and prostitution. Batts has earned a Doctorate in Public Administration, a Master in Business Management, and a Bachelor of Science in Law Enforcement Administration.
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, rising to Chief of Police in 2002. Under Batts, homicides decreased 45% and overall crime decreased 13% in Long Beach. The drop in violent crime rate in the city was the lowest in nearly 40 years. 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. 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.
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. 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. 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. Reports also cited the controversial handling of Freddie Gray's arrest as the cause of Batt's removal. Gray died in police custody. 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 HospitalBoard 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.
