There were those who didn’t figure Anthony Batts would stick around long after the stir at City Hall last year over his being a candidate for the San Jose chief’s job—that went to someone else. And today he announced he’s leaving, likely in a few weeks. An email sent to the rank and file hints at dissatisfaction over not having free reign to run the resource-thin department, which is down to 651 officers. Via the Oakland Tribune:
"I answered the call for a reform-minded chief; a leader with a focus on community policing and high professional standards. I was told Oakland residents were looking for a strong, visible leader to engage the community and reduce violent crime. My goal was to help rebuild a once proud, professional department, geared toward crime reduction and community services."
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Now, he said, "rather than a chief managing a diverse department of law enforcement professionals making the streets of Oakland safe, I found myself with limited control, but full accountability."
He added, "The landscape has changed radically over the past two years with new and different challenges."
