The Harford County Sheriff’s Office has revealed that the results of its independent investigation found insufficient evidence to substantiate the misconduct and civil right violations alleged against members of the Aberdeen Police Department.
The violations, which allegedly included excessive force and false arrest, were brought forth against Aberdeen police officers by the local chapter of the NAACP following a February incident at the Boys and Girls Club.
Here is a release from the Aberdeen Police Department:
Results of Harford County Sheriff’s Office Investigation
On February 11th, 2009 several arrests were made after an incident at the Boys and Girls Club on East Bel Air Avenue in Aberdeen. The local chapter of the NAACP requested an independent investigation of the incident alleging officer misconduct.
The results of an impartial and thorough investigation conducted by the Office of Professional Standards of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office have been released. The Professional Standards Office concluded there was insufficient evidence to substantiate any Civil Rights or departmental rules of conduct violations.
For information regarding this incident, please contact Sgt. Frederick Budnick, Media Relations, Aberdeen Police Department at 410-272-2121 ext 121.
The announcement of the HCSO investigation results prompted an immediate and harsh response from the local Fraternal Order of police:
The Harford County Municipal Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 128 would like to take this opportunity to thank the Office of Professional Standards of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office for their independent and unbiased review of an incident that occurred in February on E Bel Air Avenue, Aberdeen, Maryland.
The local chapter of the NAACP demanded a review of the incident in which their organization claimed excessive force and false arrest by officers of the Aberdeen Police Department. The chapter also demanded one officer in particular be fired. The investigation is completed and revealed no wrong doings on the part of the officers from the Aberdeen Police Department and as a result there were found to be no civil rights or departmental violations. While tensions and emotions were elevated, the officers handled the situation properly.
This lodge is disappointed in the local chapter of the NAACP for the following reasons:
– The local chapter would hold a press conference and slander, defame, and call for the firing of an officer before a fair and impartial investigation was completed.
– The local chapter of the NAACP would use a scare tactic by saying if the investigation did not turn out the way they wanted it to; they will take their complaint to the Federal level.
– The history of the local NAACP shows targeting of a particular officer in which this officer has been slandered and defamed. After an investigation of a prior complaint revealed no wrong doing on the officer’s part, the NAACP withdrew their complaint.
It seems the local chapter of the NAACP has targeted the Aberdeen Police Department and their personnel with fraudulent and unwarranted complaints. This lodge would hope that any future malicious and unfounded complaints would be handled and prosecuted by the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office.
This lodge does not want to discourage valid complaints. This lodge encourages officers to act professional and use the necessary and reasonable amount of force and tactics to affect an arrest or quell civil disorders of those breaking the laws.
Authority for release:
Lodge 128 (MD) Executive Board
Wm. Benjamin Lay Jr – President
Jason Neidig – Vice President/Secretary
Billy Thompson – State Trustee
Anthony Burke – Treasurer
That’s good new’s. but one of the officers in question, was brought up again in the council meeting last week. he will see no peace as long as he is doing his job.
Damn shame I missed that meeting. I would have suggested to the council to give him a Commendation for excellent police work.
Sounds like an apology is due and hopefully a lawsuit to follow so this slander and defamation doesn’t happen again. I’m assuming that the NCAAP will be giving a formal apology to Officer Adkins, as it is well overdue. Also they won’t have to worry about him in the future, since he has been moved to patrol and out of the drug unit for some bs reason, now the eatside can run rampid with drug dealers and the NAACP can now complain about how the officers don’t do anything to help out the community on the eastside. They want it both ways and its never there fault. There National Chapter of the NAACP should look into how the Harford County Chapter conducts its business.
Lance Hersh
Vet, Who brought up his name?
Apparently the NAACP was whineing again. some woman was with them from belcamp. complaining about officer Adkin’s treatment of her son in reference to a traffic stop here in town.
Her son she said was mixed. Chief Rudy advised her to call his office with the complaint.
Officer adkins wasn’t the only officer brought up at the town meeting, when will specific officers names stop being called out by citizena because they are angry they were given a ticket or arrested for BREAKING THE LAW. Not to mention those complaints shouldn’t have been entertained at all in that particular forum
I think the entire drug unit was called out again as well
I don’t personally Know officer Adkin’s. I can assure you he would say the same about me. I have been aware of his work for a number of years.
Good officer with a rotten job. that’s apparent from his bad publicity.
Theresident,
Funny how its the Drug Unit that the NAACP always goes after. Maybe they are in bed together. Maybe they should be investigated! In fact if it is found that they continue to go after officers that go after the drug dealers, someone should look into building a case of the dealers and the NAACP cooperating together. Where do there donations come from, the same people they continue to defend. These questions need answers, they had there investigation, now its time the citizens had theirs.
Our police officers need citizen support. we need a mayor who is going to support our police officers. officer Adkins should be returned too the Drug task force.
But it’s becomeing apparent, he’s doing his job very well. what ever section he’s in.
This empty suit, scared of his shadow, no leadership mayor should just quit because we would be better off with no mayor at all. Unless he needs the paycheck, who can tell me why he wants this job? His two years haven’t had the equivalent of one day of the efforts of the APD and especially Officer Adkins.
Lets challenge this mayor to do one positive thing in his final days in office. Mayor Bennett get on TV next week and apologize to the APD for your lack of support and thank God for Officer Adkins who does a job that you have neither the talent nor the fortitude to do.
Al I suppose the next step for Officer Adkin’s will be desk duty for performing his duty above & beyond. make no mistake. those officers not mentioned are not forgotten.
I am appalled that the mayor would even entertain allowing those types of comments in that forum. Complaints like those should be addressed to the Chief of Police and not in the middle of a council meeting. As much as he says he “runs a tight ship” at those meetings, this past meeting was a shipwreck. I hope he remembers that deep wounds don’t heal quickly and I hope the citizens see him for the man he really is…..
Not just the Mayor, APD has a Chief that entertains any and all complainants, when he started in 2000, he was all about HUG A THUG be gentile be nice, lucky for Aberdeen officers like Atkins they saw thru that and did what needed to be done!!
Get the Mayor and the Chief out!!
I noticed the Aberdeen council meeting was a rerun last night.10/1/2009 Hopefully some others were watching, that missed it the first time.
Hug a thug. you might be the next victim.
When is the department going to prosecute the people makng false complaints?
Most agencies don’t feel it’s worth the cost to do so. It’s the same reason why a lot of agencies will settle lawsuits out of court even when it’s a bogus lawsuit. The beancounters decide it’s more cost effective to settle a $100k lawsuit for $35k. If someone is suing for $100k and has a legitimate case then why would they settle for less than half that amount? There are actually some people out there (I don’t know of any in this area), that literally live off suing police departments. Every couple of years they’ll sue the police, settle out of court, and live off that money for awhile. When the money runs out they file again and repeat the cycle.
I have no problem with people filing a legitimate complaint and/or lawsuit. There are certainly cases where it’s warranted, but the vast majority of them are bogus. Every cop assumes that he’ll get sued at some point in his career and a common joke is that “you aren’t doing you’re job if you don’t get any complaints.” I think that says something about our society…
Personally, I think that in the long run they’re better off fighting every bogus lawsuit and then going after the the plaintiff for their legal fees and possibly slander/libel for filing a flase lawsuit in the first place. There are a few agencies who’ve started doing that and shockingly they’ve found that the number of lawsuits filed against them have dropped dramatically. Of course that requires a Chief/Sheriff/etc with a sets of balls and a strong stomach….
Why did the FOP President quit after everyone found out he’s beening secretly meeting with Helton and Bennett. I WANT THE TRUTH
According to The Aegis, the president resigned over the letter citing that the APD should fight the battle not the FOP. Makes me think that he has no backbone. Can any law enforcement member enlighten me as to why it wouldn’t be proper for a fraternal organization to back it’s members who were apparently falsely accused? It could have been Bel Air or Havre De Grace officers, would the president have gotten his panties all in a knot if it was those other agencies?
Based upon this incident (including the press conference held by the NAACP in February), references to prior complaints against Adkins that were apparently unfounded, and the latest little show courtesy of Janice Grant at the last City Hall meeting, there seems to be a target painted on Adkins back. It is almost as if he is being profiled or singled out by the NAACP, placed on theit hit list if you will. Maybe the fraternal order should sue the NAACP on behalf of Adkins for defamation. I have no problem with a citizen making a complaint whether they were wronged or feel that they were wronged but that press conference made APD out to be the anti-Christ and Adkins name was dragged through the mud. He was defamed and I’m sure suffered some type of stress or humiliation and probably suffered some type of setback at his job.
If Ms. Smith, Ms. Grant, and the other mud slingers aren’t held accountable for their defamatory comments the same will happen again and again. I thank God for police (I know that they all aren’t perfect) and frankly don’t understand how they go on the street each day knowing that they have a target on their back.
Hopefully you will get the truth. but it’s doubt full
From The Dagger:
During a press conference held Tuesday afternoon, NAACP leaders described a near-riot stemming from a Feb. 11 incident in which Aberdeen police arrested several black citizens – allegedly by taking “the law into their own hands by threats, viciously and forcefully attacking our African American citizens for no reason and certainly without justifiable cause.”
Apparently there was a reason and it was justified since one has already plead guilty according to The Aegis. One of the innocent victims stood up and admitted guilt….WOW. Just a little food for thought.
One plead guilty and and 3 took a plea bargin. Troy is goin to trail because they offered him 1 year in jail and he only wanted 90 days. Sounds like they all admitted to guilt. The outcome of the incident would have been the same wether or not the criminals were black, white , red , yellow, or in any other skin color. Criminals are criminals, it doesnt matter what there ethnic background is. The job of the NAACP in Harford County is to make sure to keep segregation alive, or they wouldn’t have a job. If you read the National Charter, thats not what the NAACP is suppose to be about. It makes you wonder why Dr. Martin Luther King never joined the NAACP. It was because he did’t believe or trust there mission. People who read my comments may label me as someone who has no compasion or a racist, but for those of you who know me, know I support all ethnic groups and are friends with all races. Being an American Jew and not having more than 2 generations alive because of the holocaust, I understand what discrimination is all about. When I went to the NAACP board meeting back in March with Dave Yensen to try to understand and a find a solution to work together as a community, all I saw was hatered in some of the people that were there. My presence was not welcomed by most, and I felt like I was there to just be a punching bag. I do thank Ms. Smith for having at that meeting, but it just showed me that the barriers are bilt up and no one there was willing to try to tear them down to try to work towards a healther community and environment within this City.
As far as Officer Adkins, he has been taken off the Drug Task force Unit for not producing. Bt the reason he wasn’t making as many arrests and ticketing enough is because of direct orders from Captain Trabert and Mayor Bennett. Then they used that against him to demote him and after 23 years of service in the City of Aberdeen put him back on patrol and gave him one of the oldest police cars the city has. Basically the way I see it, is they are trying to find every excuse possible to fire him before retirement , which for him is in less than 3 years. ITS A FUCING WITCHHUNT IF I HAVE EVER SEEN ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don’t think the citizens out there won’t know the ugly political truth that goes on in the APD, it will all be exposed. This link will be forwarded to everyone in Aberdeen on my email list which is about 1,100 people. The time is for a new clean Mayor and a revamped Council who aren’t in the bed with some of the local biulders that try to control every move the City makes. HIOB FOR MAYOR. He will have an open door relationship with all departments in the City. He also is his own person and won’t be controlled be others.
Last note, Officer Adkins would be a great lose for this department along with the whisper of alot of other good officers that we are going to lose if things don’t change.
Lance Hersh
443-528-3046
Sharon apparently. this ”incident” did have and affect on officers Adkin’s job it’s my under standing, he was removed from the drug inforcement department.
And put back on traffic detail. of which again. he has been attacked for doing his job. Note last council meeting. officer Adkin’s pulled my son over on a traffic stop. he was of a mixed race.
Thank you Lance for the up date. I suppose one is supposed to put out a 100% percent when every move you’ make is monitored. your Damned if you do and Damned if you don’t.
Maybe we do need a shake down. at the police Department.
Harford is a backwoods dump and most of the cops are uneducated idiots.This Lance idiot is typical of his tribe,always sticking his beak where it doesn’t belong and trying to tell others what to do.
Hey Gotti you ***,
Put your name on here, and show your face like a real man. Your comments don’t mean a thing, by the way it is my business, I pay taxes here in Aberdeen and support the FOP financially. And our cops are uneducated and idiots? You must be a criminal that doesn’t know what an education really is. If you want to talk further about your lack of education, you can contact me. Unlike yourself,I don’t hide behind fake names. By the way, who is my tribe? The smart, educated, informed, contributing citizen of this Country. While your tribe must consist of uneducated, uninformed, trouble making criminal who deserves nothing in this society but to be digging ditches somewhere in another Country, one where the Police won’t protect you while your getting your *** kicked for opening your big mouth.
Lance Hersh
Thank you so much for your “educated” response, Lance. I’d hate to see what an “uneducated” response looks like. By the way, have you ever heard of run-on sentences, partial sentences, capitalization rules, plurals, etc…?
Angry,
What are you angry about? I never claimed to be the most articulate person in the world, but my responses are understandable and people know where I stand. I don’t hide behind bs names and I’m not an English major by any means. On that note, the only thing I can say is that at least I speak the language and understand it. Being an educated citizen has nothing to do with run-on sentences , partial sentences or capitalization rules. Gee, I hope I copied that to your standards!!!!!!!!!!! I didn’t know writing on a blog required that I use every grammar rule known to the English Language. Keep your comments to yourself unless you have anything constructive to say about the subject. Take a couple of deep breaths and count to 4 for about 3 minutes and calm dowm. This will slow your heart rate and maybe you won’t be as angry!LOL
Lance Hersh
You shouldn’t criticize anyone else’s education until you learn how to do so using language and sentence structure beyond that of a 12 year old.