# Leonard Hamm

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Leonard Hamm Police career Country United States Department Baltimore Police Department Service years 1974-2007 Rank Commissioner

**Leonard Hamm** is a former [commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department](/source/Commissioner_of_the_Baltimore_Police_Department) who served as the head of the department from 2004 to 2007.[1]

## Biography

Hamm grew up in [Baltimore](/source/Baltimore)'s [Cherry Hill](/source/Cherry_Hill%2C_Baltimore) neighborhood, attended [Baltimore City College](/source/Baltimore_City_College) and joined the department in 1974.[2] He would eventually rise to the rank of Lieutenant and then Major under former commissioner Thomas Frazier, becoming the Baltimore Police Department's first [African American](/source/African_American) officer to command the Central District.[2] With a rising homicide rate, departmental personnel problems and a mayoral election approaching, Hamm was asked to resign by Mayor [Sheila Dixon](/source/Sheila_Dixon) in the summer of 2007.[3] Hamm was succeeded by Deputy Commissioner for Operations [Frederick H. Bealefeld III](/source/Frederick_H._Bealefeld_III), a 26-year veteran of the force.[4] Hamm worked as the Chief of Campus Police at [Coppin State University](/source/Coppin_State_University) in Baltimore until June 2021.

In 2015 Hamm's memoirs were published, *The Hamm Rules on Relationships, Leadership, Love and Community*. [http://www.hammrules.com/](http://www.hammrules.com/)

## Family

In June 2008, it was discovered that Hamm's 39-year-old stepdaughter Nicole Sesker was found murdered in Northwest Baltimore.[5][6] At the time of her death, she struggled with addiction and had also traded sex for housing, food, drugs and money. Sesker was a former volunteer and employee of [Power Inside](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Power_Inside&action=edit&redlink=1), a local women's group that assists women on the streets. Sesker used her experiences to inspire and educate others through media advocacy and public speaking. In 2004 she wrote, "I left prison with a made-up mind that I wouldn't be one of the ones that said something needs to be changed. I would help the changes be made. I would be, and am, a voice the public can't ignore.".[7]

One of Hamm's grandsons, [Malik Hamm](/source/Malik_Hamm) is a linebacker for the [Baltimore Ravens](/source/Baltimore_Ravens).

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Bealefeld urges more effort to fight violent crime"](http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/crime/bal-md.ci.bealefeld19nov19,0,6027326.story). *The Baltimore Sun*.[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*]

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-autogenerated1_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-autogenerated1_2-1) ["Brass Tacks: An Interview With Police Commissioner Leonard Hamm"](https://web.archive.org/web/20100221084358/http://citypaper.com/news/story.asp?id=13595). Archived from [the original](http://www.citypaper.com/news/story.asp?id=13595) on 2010-02-21.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Mayor To Announce Hamm's Resignation"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110716094800/http://www.wbaltv.com/news/13707552/detail.html). Archived from [the original](https://www.wbaltv.com/news/13707552/detail.html) on 2011-07-16.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["The Police Commissioner"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080626200926/http://www.baltimorepolice.org/about-us/officers/police-commissioner). Archived from [the original](http://www.baltimorepolice.org/about-us/officers/police-commissioner) on 2008-06-26.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Wounds show that Sesker was strangled"](http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-md.briefs290jun29,0,6875851.story?track=rss).[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*]

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Leonard Hamm's Stepdaughter Murdered"](http://www.abc2news.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=098a880b-e9de-4fcf-ae74-1fe9617e6460&rss=702).[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*]

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [Power Inside](http://www.powerinside.org)

Police appointments Preceded by Kevin P. Clark Baltimore Police Department Commissioner 2004-2007 Succeeded by Frederick H. Bealefeld III

v t e Baltimore Police Department Commissioners Board of Commissioners Gaither Lawson Nelson (acting) Stanton Atkinson Ober Ford (acting) Hepbron Schmidt Pomerleau Battaglia Robinson Tilghman Woods Frazier Rotation (acting) Daniel Norris Clark Hamm Bealefeld Batts Davis De Sousa Tuggle (acting) Harrison Worley Events 2015 Baltimore protests Baltimore police strike Killing of Freddie Gray Gun Trace Task Force Death of Sean Suiter Wayne Jenkins William King and Antonio Murray Harlem Park Three Murders of Keona Holley and Justin Johnson Media Charm City Cop in the Hood Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets Homicide: Life on the Street Serial, Season 1 The Wire We Own This City Related Espantoon Rough ride

v t e Commissioners of the Baltimore Police Department Police Commissioners (1920–present) Charles D. Gaither (1920–37) William P. Lawson (1937–38) Stephen G. Nelson (interim 1938) Robert F. Stanton (1938–43) Hamilton R. Atkinson (1943–49) Beverly Ober (1949–55) Fred L. Ford (interim 1955) James M. Hepbron (1955–61) Bernard Schmidt (1961–66) Donald Pomerleau (1966–81) Frank Battaglia (1981–84) Bishop Robinson (1984–87) Edward J. Tilghman (1987–89) Edward V. Woods (1989–93) Thomas C. Frazier (1994–99) John E. Gavrilis, Elbert Shirley & Robert Smith (interim rotation 1999–2000) Ronald L. Daniel (2000) Edward T. Norris (2000–02) Kevin P. Clark (2002–04) Leonard Hamm (2004–07) Frederick H. Bealefeld III (2007–12) Anthony Batts (2012–15) Kevin Davis (2015–18) Darryl De Sousa (2018) Gary Tuggle (interim 2018–19) Michael S. Harrison (2019–23) Richard Worley (2023–present) Presidents of the Board of Police Commissioners (1850–1920) Charles Howard (1850–61) Nicholas L. Wood (1862–64) Samuel Hindes (1864–66) James Young (1866–67) LeFevre Jarrett (1867–70) John W. Davis (1870–71) William H. B. Fusselbaugh(1871–81) George Colton (1881–87) Edson M. Schryver (1888–97) Daniel C. Heddinger (1897–1900) George M. Upshur (1900–1904) George R. Willis (1904–08) Sherlock Swann (1908–10) John B. A. Wheltle (1910–12) Morris Ames Soper (1912–13) James McEvoy (1913–14) Daniel C. Ammidon (1914–16) Lawrason Riggs (1916–20) Other members of the Board of Police Commissioners (1850–1920) select list Thomas Kelso

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Leonard Hamm](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Hamm) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Hamm?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.