Frank Battaglia

Infobox police officer
name = Frank Battaglia


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department = Baltimore Police Department
service = United States
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rank = Commissioner
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Frank Battaglia is a former Baltimore Police Department officer who was Commissioner of the Department between 1981 and 1984. [ Baltimore Sun cite web | title="Bealefeld urges more effort to fight violent crime"| url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/crime/bal-md.ci.bealefeld19nov19,0,6027326.story]

Biography

Battaglia was the first and 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." [cite book |last=Simon |first=David |title= |origyear=1991 |edition=4th |year=2006 |publisher=Owl Books |isbn=0-8050-8075-9 |page=39 |chapter=One |quote=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.] 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. [cite book |last=Simon |first=David |title= |origyear=1991 |edition=4th |year=2006 |publisher=Owl Books |isbn=0-8050-8075-9 |pages=29-30 |chapter=One |quote=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.] 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 . During the Baltimore riot of 1968, Battaglia was ranked as a Lieutenant Colonel and was the Department's official Field Force Commander. ["EVER ON THE WATCH" THE HISTORY OF THE BALTIMORE POLICE DEPARTMENT by W.M.Hackleycite web | title="The Baltimore Riot of 1968"| url=http://mysite.verizon.net/vzesdp09/baltimorepolicehistorybywmhackley2/id76.html]

References