City of Mesa announces new interim police chief

MESA, Ariz. - The City of Mesa has announced a new interim police chief a day after Ramon Batista resigned.

Assistant Chief Ken Cost will serve immediately as the interim chief of Mesa police, officials announced Tuesday.

“Appointing Assistant Chief Cost to this position was an easy decision based on his extensive law enforcement experience, knowledge of, and relationships with, the community and tenure with Mesa Police.” City Manager Chris Brady said. “I am fully confident in his ability to lead this department professionally and with the utmost integrity, transparency, and commitment.”

Ken Cost (Photo: City of Mesa)

Cost has been with the Mesa Police Department for nearly 25 years.

“I am honored to be asked to serve in this position and especially to continue to work in and for this community I love.” Interim Police Chief Ken Cost said. “I am also humbled to lead, and to work side by side with, the amazing men and women of the Mesa Police Department in protecting and serving the residents of Mesa.” 

The announcement comes a day after Batista handed in his notice of intent to leave citing the desire to pursue personal interests and other professional opportunities.

“Chief Batista has served this community well, taking over the department during some challenging times,” Brady said. “He worked hard to connect with the community and provide expanded field training for our officers.”

The City of Mesa says the police department saw significant changes in the training of use-of-force instruction and de-escalation techniques as well as the lowest violent crime rates ever reported under Batista's tenure.

The Mesa Police Association said in a statement, "Chief Batista’s resignation marks the third leadership transition in less than a decade for our department. We look forward to working with the city council and city management to find a long-term chief who will serve our city well."

Batista has worked in law enforcement for nearly 35 years. He started with Mesa in 2017 after retiring as the Assistant Police Chief for the City of Tucson.