[1] 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 Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets 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.