Taking One for the Team: Can Axing a Chief Save a Sinking Ship?

We’ve all heard the old adage about a captain going down with his ship - a symbol of his being ultimately responsible for whatever the hell happened on the vessel to make it start sinking in the first place.

But there’s another nautically-themed response to save a sinking ship, literal or otherwise, that has become more fashionable in modern times - mutiny.

At issue is the tenuous position of Randy Rudy, chief of the Aberdeen Police Department for the last 8 years, who was strongly aligned with former mayor Fred Simmons. With Simmons out and new mayor Mike Bennett in, Rudy’s future is in question. Even though both come from a background of service with the Maryland State Police, Bennett may see Rudy as one of the last remaining reminders of Simmons’ two years as mayor. It wasn’t Simmons who hired Rudy, but it was Simmons, himself a gun-carrying pilot, who empowered the chief and gave him the funding and support to kick Aberdeen crime-fighting into high gear. Continue reading Taking One for the Team: Can Axing a Chief Save a Sinking Ship?