As Baltimore’s next state’s attorney, Bates will keep police, conviction integrity units

Ivan Bates ran for Baltimore state’s attorney on a promise to bring change as the city’s top prosecutor. In the Democratic primary, Bates pledged to pursue gun cases more aggressively and said he would resume prosecuting low-level offenses that his opponent, State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby, eschewed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The strategy worked: Bates, a former defense lawyer and prosecutor, defeated Mosby in the primary and is headed into the general election unopposed. His victory was widely viewed as a rebuke of Mosby, who is under federal indictment and has inspired strong opinions during her two terms. But Bates, who is set to take office in January, also plans to preserve some core elements of his predecessor’s administration.