Frank Battaglia Explained

Frank Battaglia
Department:	Baltimore Police Department
Service:	United States
Rank:	Commissioner

Frank Battaglia is a former Baltimore Police Department officer who was commissioner of the Department between 1981 and 1984.^[1]

Biography

Battaglia was the only Italian-American police commissioner of Baltimore, controlling a police department previously dominated by Irish-American police officers during a time period nicknamed the "Holy Roman Empire."^[2] Battaglia would lose the post for a consultant position in 1984 to Bishop L. Robinson as Mayor Donald Schaefer shifted control of the department to the city's majority African American community.^[3] It was under Battaglia that former BPD officer Gary D'Addario was elevated to the rank of lieutenant. D'Addario is best known as the shift commander featured in David Simon's book and was the inspiration for the character of Al Giardello seen on NBC's Homicide: Life on the Street. During the Baltimore riot of 1968, Battaglia was ranked as a Lieutenant Colonel and was the Department's official Field Force Commander.^[4]

Notes and References

1. Baltimore Sun Web site: Bealefeld urges more effort to fight violent crime.
2. Book: Simon, David . Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets . 1991 . 4th . 2006 . Owl Books . 978-0-8050-8075-9 . 39 . One . D'Addario is one of the last survivors of the Italian caliphate that briefly ruled the department after a long Irish dynasty.....But the Holy Roman Empire lasted less than four years. . Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets .
3. Book: Simon, David . Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets . 1991 . 4th . 2006 . Owl Books . 978-0-8050-8075-9 . 29–30 . One . the mayor acknowledged the city's changing demographics by dragging Battaglia into a well paid consultant position and giving the black community a firm lock on the upper tiers of the police department. . Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets .
4. "EVER ON THE WATCH" THE HISTORY OF THE BALTIMORE POLICE DEPARTMENT by W.M.HackleyWeb site: The Baltimore Riot of 1968. 2008-07-09. 2008-09-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20080905015023/http://mysite.verizon.net/vzesdp09/baltimorepolicehistorybywmhackley2/id76.html. dead.