Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums announced Wednesday that he has chosen Anthony Batts as Oakland's new chief of police. Batts is the current police chief in Long Beach.
Batts has been on the Long Beach force for nearly three decades and their chief for past seven years.
The mayor credited Batts with helping reduce that city's crime rate to its lowest level since 1975.
"Chief Batts is an extraordinarily capable police chief whose professional expertise, outstanding leadership skills and brilliant operational savvy make him the right choice for Oakland. Coming from a similar-sized port city with one of the most diverse populations in the country, Chief Batts understands the complexity of running an urban police department and implementing change to improve the quality of life in Oakland and engage the community to enhance public safety. I am confident that our residents, police department staff and city officials alike will find Chief Batts to be an accomplished leader and a great police chief for Oakland," said Mayor Dellums.
Acting Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan will remain at the helm until Batts officially starts in September.
"Safety, service and hope are the building blocks we provide to a community rich in diversity, opportunity and promise. Our job is to turn citizen concerns into our service imperatives," Batts said after accepting the job.
Batts is well educated, that's for sure.
He has a Doctorate in Public Administration from the University of La Verne, a Masters in Business Management from the University of Redlands and a Law Enforcement degree from California State University, Long Beach.
