Threats Against Aberdeen Police Officers Spray Painted On City Market (Updated w/Pics)

Vandals armed with spray paint made not-so-subtle threats against the Aberdeen Police Department last night in the form of graffiti tagged on the S&S Market at 101 E. Bel Air Avenue.

The vandals wrote several statements along the lines of “F*** the Police” and “This is our city” and even referred to Aberdeen as “Sin City.”

But the taggers went a step further and painted “RIP: Reiber JR Helf”on the building as well. This appears to be a threat against officers Christopher Reiber, J.R. Adkins and Timothy Helf - all members the APD’s Rapid Response Team squad.

While pondering the seriousness of the graffiti and how APD will react to the implied threat against three of its officers, several other questions came to mind.

It’s hard to believe no one on the midnight patrol shift spotted the vandalism before the business opened in the morning. Does that mean no one patrolled E. Bel Air Avenue all night? Continue reading Threats Against Aberdeen Police Officers Spray Painted On City Market (Updated w/Pics)

Who Said That Local Politics Can’t Be Fun?

What took so long?

It’s been six months or so since Aberdeen Mayor S. Fred Simmons, who is also a local airport owner and insurance agent, erected a billboard on Route 40 at the city’s eastern border for his State Farm Insurance business. It wasn’t until this week, however, that the billboard, which features a nine-foot tall photo of Simmons’ head, was defaced.

The first time I saw the billboard, I was driving into Aberdeen with the rest of the westbound traffic on Pulaski Highway. I was immediately struck by several thoughts: Continue reading Who Said That Local Politics Can’t Be Fun?