Leadership

Chairperson

Ivan J. Bates
State’s Attorney for Baltimore City
Executive Board Vice Chair

Ivan J. Bates was sworn in as the 26th State’s Attorney for Baltimore City on January 3, 2023.

Mr. Bates is a successful attorney, strong leader, respected community advocate, and dedicated family man with more than 25 years of experience as both a prosecutor and defense attorney. An army veteran, he has decades of leadership experience, and is committed to fighting on the front lines for fairness, truth, and justice. 

As a young man, Mr. Bates looked to three role models when deciding on a career path. First was his father, Henry B. Bates, Jr., who had a successful career in the United States Army that took the family around the world. The second was his mother, Cleora J. Bates, who was Ivan’s greatest supporter while he was attending school. Last, Mr. Bates was inspired by Justice Thurgood Marshall, a Baltimore native and skilled civil rights attorney who became the first African-American Supreme Court Justice.

Mr. Bates followed in his father’s footsteps and enlisted in the United States Army, which helped him to develop discipline, leadership, and teamwork skills. He completed his undergraduate studies at Howard University and earned his J.D. from The William & Mary Law School. Mr. Bates was a proud recipient of many awards during his college years. 

Mr. Bates’ career has come full circle, and he returns to the same office where his law career began: his first post after passing the bar exam in 1995 was as an assistant state’s attorney for Baltimore City. He was privileged to serve as a law clerk for the Honorable Judge David B. Mitchell, who inspired and mentored him. 

In 2006, Mr. Bates established his own mid-sized firm in the heart of Baltimore, Bates & Garcia, LLC. For 17 years, he built a successful practice, mentored rising attorneys, and built a reputable team of legal experts. Mr. Bates also appeared in every Court in the State of Maryland, and had the opportunity to represent clients in federal court in Maryland, San Francisco, and Northern Virginia. 

As Baltimore City State’s Attorney, Mr. Bates will prioritize holding violent offenders accountable, and focus on restoring safety, justice, truth, and equality to his beloved City of Baltimore. He will work tirelessly to build bridges for a better Baltimore, and create the City he envisions for his young daughter, London, his entire family, and every family in Baltimore.

Vice Chair

Toni M. Crosby
Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Baltimore Field Office
Executive Board Vice Chair

In January 2022, Toni M. Crosby was selected as the Special Agent in Charge of the Baltimore Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). As the Special Agent in Charge, she is responsible for overseeing all ATF criminal enforcement and regulatory operations in Maryland and Delaware.

The Special Agents under Mrs. Crosby’s leadership focus investigations on violent criminal organizations, illegal use of firearms, firearms trafficking, criminal arson and explosives incidents, and more. Additionally, Industry Operations Investigators under her leadership oversee the inspection of more than 3,200 federal firearms licensees and over 80 explosives licensees/permittees within the Baltimore Field Division area of responsibility.

Mrs. Crosby was appointed to her current position after serving as the Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Affairs Division. Prior to that, she was the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Baltimore Field Division from 2019-2021 where she was responsible for overseeing the criminal enforcement groups who worked within the Baltimore metropolitan area.

Mrs. Crosby began her career with ATF as an Investigative Analyst in 1999 before becoming a Special Agent in the Baltimore Field Division in 2000, working violent crime investigations throughout the state of Maryland. In 2014, she transferred to ATF Headquarters, Washington, D.C. where she worked in the Human Resources and Professional Development directorate before joining the ATF Denver Field Division as the Resident Agent in Charge of the Colorado Springs Field Office from 2015-2017. Mrs. Crosby returned to ATF Headquarters to serve as the Resource Management Branch Chief until January 2019, where she was responsible for overseeing the field operations budget and the Joint Law Enforcement Officer’s (JLEO) asset forfeiture budget. From 2009-2015, she also served as part of the ATF Special Operations Division Medic Program. Mrs. Crosby has also served as members of ATF’s Merit Promotion Board and Professional Review Board.

Mrs. Crosby holds a Master’s Degree in Security and Safety Leadership from George Washington University where she graduated in 2016. She is a current member of the Women in Federal Law Enforcement (WIFLE), International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA), and the Maryland Chiefs of Police Association. Throughout her career, she has been the recipient of many awards for merit, outstanding service, and investigative excellence.