BALTIMORE POLICE DEPARTMENT

OFFICE OF THE POLICE COMMISSIONER PUBLIC AFFAIRS SECTION

Frederick H. Bealefeld, III POLICE COMMISSIONER

Anthony J. Guglielmi DIRECTOR

Baltimore Police Senior Command Staff Appointments

June 15, 2011 / Baltimore, MD - Today, Baltimore Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld, III announces the following command appointments: Deputy Commissioner of Administration: Colonel John Skinner has been appointed as the Baltimore Police Departments Deputy Commissioner of Administration where he will oversee all administrative functions of the Department including training, finance, human resources and information systems. Skinner, who has served as the Chief of Patrol for the past four years, is an 18 year veteran of the Department and is credited with fostering improved relations between police and the community. He created the Baltimore Police Departments Patrol Response Survey which was recognized and published by the United States Department of Justice. His prior assignments include Commanding Officer of the Western and Central Districts as well as the Criminal Intelligence Section where he was instrumental in developing the BPDs post 9/11 intelligence and homeland security efforts. Skinner is a graduate of the University of Dayton (Ohio) and holds a Masters Degree from the University of Baltimore. Chief of Patrol: Colonel Dean Palmere has been appointed to serve as the Chief of the Patrol Division where he will be responsible for directing strategy and day to day operations of all uniformed personnel in Baltimore's nine police districts. Palmere, a 22 year veteran of the Department, has served as the Chief of Detectives, Commanding Officer of the Central District and the Organized Crime Division and had previous assignments in patrol, SWAT, and firearms apprehension. Palmere started with the department as a cadet and comes from a long family line of Baltimore Police Officers. He is currently the tenth generation of the Palmere family to serve in the Department. He is a graduate of Calvert Hall College and the FBI National Academy. Chief of Detectives: Lieutenant Colonel Jesse Oden, who currently heads the Warrant Apprehension Task Force, which is responsible for apprehending fugitives from justice, has been promoted to the rank of Colonel and appointed as the Chief of Detectives where he is responsible for supervising all criminal investigative sections, including Homicide. Oden is no stranger to the Criminal Investigations Division. Previously he served as the Commanding Officer of the Homicide Section, Drug Enforcement Unit and the Housing Division. He also served as Patrol Area Commander and Major of the Southern District. Oden is a 32 year veteran of the Department and is currently pursuing a criminal justice and urban studies degree from Baltimores Coppin State University. Patrol Area Commander: Major Ross Buzzuro, who currently commands the Northern Police District, was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and appointed as the Patrol Area Commander. In this capacity, he will be one of two area commanders responsible for a number of Police Districts. Buzzuro joined the police department immediately after high school in 1985 as a police cadet. His prior assignments include ethics commander for the Internal Investigations Section as well as various patrol and investigative posts in the Southwest and Southeast sections of the city. Buzzuro is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the Johns Hopkins University where he holds a Masters Degree in Management. Northern District Commander: Deputy Major Sabrina Tapp-Harper was promoted to the rank of Major and appointed as the Commanding Officer of the Northern District. Tapp-Harper joined the department in 1987 as a police cadet and previously served as the Acting Commander of the Juvenile Detention Section. Prior to that she was detailed to the International Association of Chiefs of Police in Alexandria, Virginia where she conducted research on police/military relations and completed professional studies for the National Institute of Justice. Tapp-Harper is a graduate of Coppin State University and holds a Masters Degree in Applied Behavioral Sciences from Johns Hopkins University. For more information, please contact Baltimore Police Public Affairs Section at 410-396-2012.