Report: Panel Approves Batts Nomination

Anthony Batts appointment as Baltimore's next police commissioner will head to the full City Council for approval, maybe as early as next week, according to The Baltimore Sun.

The executive nominations panel unanimously approved his nomination on Wednesday. Batts has already been serving as the commissioner for weeks prior to his confirmation by the council.

Batts was announced as Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s choice to replace the retired Frederick H. Bealefeld III in August.

Batts has previously served as the police chief in Long Beach, CA and Oakland, CA. However, his short tenure in Oakland was marred by conflict with Mayor Jean Quan.

During a press conference announcing his hire Batts said he wanted police to focus on the needs of the communities they serve.

"I expect to have a well disciplined, focused police department. A police organization that remembers that we serve our community, and [be] clear that we are here to make their lives better," Batts said at the time. "They’re not the enemy. They’re the people who we serve, and we will get in closer to those communities."