I’ve written about what’s rotten in the state of Maryland before: a tradition of spying or intimidating political critics. It’s a problem that began under former Democratic governor William Schaefer, and apparently resumed under former Republican governor Bob Ehrlich.
There’s more trouble in that troubled state: an apparent pattern of excessive force, sometimes wholly mistaken, against drug suspects. The most recent case involves a mistaken police raid on the home of Berwyn Heights, Maryland’s mayor, of all people.
The Prince George’s police department raided the mayor’s home, restrained the mayor, his wife, and mother-in-law, and killed his dogs on the theory that he had knowingly received a drug shipment. It wasn’t knowing at all – drug dealers will sometimes send a shipment to an unsuspecting homeowner, and intercept the package on its arrival. They must have thought that sending it to the mayor’s house would make suspicion and surveillance less likely.
Predictably, the police department refuses to apologize, and is the subject of lawsuits for similar erroneous and excessive use of force. (Serious, independent law enforcement officials contacted by area newspapers are on record stating that the raid was wrongly executed, and likely need not have involved killing of household pets.)
A startling example of unprofessionalism – the mayor contends that during the raid, while he and his family were restrained, a member of the police department used her cell phone to call someone and recount how exciting the raid was, that it was her first, and that she was at the mayor’s house.
The department is now the subject of a federal civil rights review. From the Post article to which I link, it’s evident that the department is concerned about outside review.
That’s an admission of inadequacy — a competent, professional department fears no independent review.
Why do I write that failure to acknowledge mistakes in procedure is predictable? Because when leadership in a force goes bad, it often goes thoroughly bad, and no excuse or rationalization is off limits. The same leaders who will not enforce good practices will insist that they’re without error.
To someone who doesn’t read about these cases, it seems startling and shocking. To those who do, it’s an all-too-common response of failed leadership. In mistakes like this, officials responsible often admit no true accountability or responsibility. That defensive, stonewalling response is typical – predictable — in a poorly led department.
These problems are not confined to Maryland: they’re present anywhere that leaders take a we-can-make-no-mistakes, need-accept-no-blame attitude.
Law enforcement leaders of this ilk batten on the natural desire of citizens to support their police to get away with third-rate leadership.