48% of their calls for service resulted from them choosing to approach someone. That they only made a few arrests and that there were less than 300 violent crimes, makes it more, not less likely that they are harassing citizens on the basis of bias. In addition, those are the reports that they filed. With their own supervisors banned by their contract unable to view their body cameras without reasons other than checking on officer performance, how can we even trust that data, especially with CALEA, the accrediting agency, receiving a $5,000 payment from them in the budget!?
Does any step in the hiring process actively seek out information on and take into account verbal indications, social ties, examples of extremism, or biases that the applicant has demonstrated or has been said to have demonstrated in the past by others?
My name is Maria Laird, I live in downtown Frederick and my question is: Would it be possible to require an associates or a bachelor's degree before being employed by the FPD? Preferably a degree related to criminal justice. I believe that our police are not as educated as they should be on the law. A lawyer has to go to school for seven years to practice law, but law enforcement officers don't have any schooling higher than a high school diploma. I believe it is important for our law enforcement officers to be better educated on the laws as they are the ones carrying out the law. I believe a higher education standard would also help our police officers understand why unnecessary force is wrong and how to have more informed discourse with a potential criminal.
By the time a use of force policy comes into play, it is often the case that many systems have already failed to create an environment in which all people, regardless of race, are allowed to flourish. Keeping in mind that the City's budget is zero sum, can you discuss you stances on defunding the police in favor of aggressively investing in our community? Thanks!
With only 300 violent crimes, but nearly 50,000 police initiated interactions, how do you collect data and then use that data to ensure that there is not bias? If you are doing so currently, then recognizing that failure, given that 18.4% of the cities population is black, but they are 28% of traffic stops and 46% of use of force incidents according to their own data outlined for year 4 of the CALEA report they paid for to be done. How will you fix that and how will you do so in a transparent and accountable way?
In 2008 a partially-deaf young black man named Jarrel Gray was killed after Rudy Torres tased him twice, including once when he was already on the ground. Why are we still allowing our police to use these deadly weapons 12 years later when we know they can be fatal? How many deaths will it take before their use is discontinued?
In 2013 three Frederick police officers killed Ethan Saylor, a man with Down syndrome, over a $10 movie ticket. Rich Rochford, one of those officers, still works for the Frederick Police Department. Why should we accept that he's paid to protect us after this heinous act?
How could the budget for explosives, tear gas, and other military type objects be better used to promote mental health, stable housing and jobs, etc?
Will you commit to outlawing dangerous and illegitimate use of chokeholds, tear gas, and military gear? Will you commit to defunding the police AND reinvesting in our communities?
What is FPD's policy on police disciplinary records? Is there a way for the public to access officer records so they can hold elected officials accountable with respect to police oversight?