I'm trying to confirm a fact that I received from a teaching
colleague.  While Theodore Roosevelt was police commissioner of New
York City, he would parade about the streets at night in order to
battle the corruption of the police and see the true problems of the
city.  In fact, the journalists named him "Haroun-al-Roosevelt."  What
I have heard, uncomfirmed, is that these journeys at night created
some cartoons in the newspaper at the time.  These cartoons became the
backdrop for the creation of the comic hero Batman.  What I would like
to know is, is this story of Theodore Roosevelt being the "original"
Batman true?  If this is so, where is the research to prove it?

The "Haroun-al-Roosevelt" nickname is quite true. I have never heard
of the alleged Batman connection before, and I doubt its accuracy.

Here are a few good articles about the origins of Batman:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman#Character_origins

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Kane#Batman

http://www.characterproducts.com/info/character_histories/batman_doorway.htm