Archive for the 'Sheriff's Office' Category
Prince George’s County Sheriff Michael A. Jackson has lost his mind. I would also like to add that if you are a Prince George’s County Democrat considering giving him your vote next September, you are crazy.
In the past few years, we have seen that Jackson (D) has run a sheriff’s department which has officially gained the cowboy reputation. In addition to the SWAT team performing a botched raid on the home of Berwyn Heights Mayor Cheye Calvo, the department recently had to pay over a quarter million dollars ($261,000 to be exact) to a woman who was pepper sprayed and punched by sheriff deputies. In addition, there is an Accokeek couple that also claimed that their dogs were shot by deputies. Despite past history and all evidence from outside sources pointing to his department screwing up, Jackson acts as if his men did not mess up.
I would think that after eight years of County Executive Jack Johnson (D), the county would want hope and change of its own. Mr. Johnson has not handled crime very well; in addition to the countless ethical questions involving hiring his friends for positions they were not qualified for, giving sweetheart land deals to another set of friends and let’s not forget his attempt to pass off a tax without putting it to ballot.
The county police department has just came off of a U.S. Justice Department oversight and shortly thereafter a man who was accused of killing a police officer with a vehicle was murdered in a holding cell before he was charged with anything. The officers on duty in the county jail were allowed to maintain silence for a couple for days before they talked, when they should have been interviewed on the spot. Overall, you have to ask if the county would benefit from having a chief executive who sees no problem with situations that have been ruled unlawful by impartial third parties?
Maryland Politics Today has a long standing editorial policy of not endorsing any political candidates. However, if there is a politician that has shown himself as unethical or dishonorable, this blog has an obligation to point out the bad behavior regardless of party. Mr. Jackson has proven this many times over. The Prince George’s County Police Department has recognized that something went wrong in regards to the raid last month. Why can’t Jackson admit that his department has screwed up? My guess is that previous similar incidents would show a pattern of screwing up, hence why the state passed a law requiring SWAT team reports (thanks to Calvo).
Prince George’s County officials had their ethics in question for a long time. The residents in the county of which I grew up and spent 26 years as a resident would be good to send a strong message and not elect Mr. Jackson as County Executive.
P. Kenneth Burns is the Editor of Maryland Politics Today and the President/Executive Content Producer for The Maryland News Company. His email is kburns@themdnews.com.
Berwyn Heights Mayor Cheye Calvo was the topic of discussion on NPR’s Tell Me More, more accurately the botched police raid on his home.
Calvo has stated that he is beyond an apology, he wants change. He ifinds “stunning” that even though Prince George’s County is the most affluent black majority jurisdiction in the country, the “absolute disregard” for civil rights adding that he is concerned about how county leadership (black for the record) remarkably disregards civil rights.
For the record, the Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office declined NPR’s request to interview either someone from the department or County Sheriff Michael A. Jackson.
The rejection of the interview request leads to the ongoing discussion of why do they bother, Maryland Politics Today’s E-List of the dishonorable.
The Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office…at least the management of the office. This is in no way a smack at the deputies that are actually doing their job. Here is the statement given to NPR:
While we are very appreciative of your invitation to join Mayor Calvo in open discussion, given the incident remains both under investigation and in litigation, we will have to respectfully decline from comment at this time. I hope at its conclusion, the opportunity will once again present itself.
The litigation part I understand, but here is where I have a problem with…the incident is under investigation? I thought the sheriff’s office finished their investigation. Sheriff Michael A. Jackson said that the shooting was justified back in September. On top of that, Jackson (D) and County Executive Jack Johnson (D) sounded pretty damn confident that the right thing was done. I would also like to add that all that was required was an apology. At the rate of two SWAT raids a day in the county, I would not be surprised if the police department AND the sheriff’s office was back under federal oversight.
The management of the Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office, which includes Sheriff Michale A. Jackson…hee hee…You guys are…
And boom goes the dynomite.
Maryland Politics Today remains steadfast in calling for Jackson’s resignation.
I will try to hold my comments until the end.
The Washington Post reported this morning that according to Prince George’s County Sheriff Michael A. Jackson, an internal review of the raid on the home of Berwyn Heights Mayor Cheye Calvo justifies the shootings of they Mayors two dogs.
The results of the review, which did not include Calvo or his mother in law at all, was released in response to a necropsy performed by the state Department of Agriculture in College Park. The examination of the dog’s revealed that one dog was shot four times while the other one was shot two times in the back legs. By the way, Calvo paid for the examinatio at $360 for each dog.
First and foremost, Jackson has pulled a page from the playbook of Prince George’s County Executive Jack Johnson (D). When Johnson was State’s Attorney, instead of talking with the family of a victim who was beaten to death in Laurel ten years ago, he talked to the alleged assailants without getting the other side. Jackson in an attempt to prop him and his department up, rushed to release a review that is biased, let alone the fact that he has not acknowledged that the raid was a flawed operation AND the fact that he has not apologized.
Maryland Politics Today is still calling for the resignation of Prince George’s County Sheriff Michael A. Jackson in addition to demanding that he apologizes to Mayor Calvo and his family.
from my PolitickerMD.com column today:
Prince George’s County Police Chief Melvin High has still yet to apologize to Berwyn Heights Mayor Cheye Calvo and his family for the botched police operation on their home that ended with their two dogs being shot and killed and then ultimately Calvo and his family being cleared of any wrong doing. If he followed through with his plans, he stepped down this past Sunday, August 31.
High might be gone (thank heavens) but County Sheriff Michael A. Jackson (D) is still in office and he has yet to apologize for the botched operation. I might be the only person who is still bringing this up but sometimes you have to make a stand if not to draw attention to an outrageous lack of justice. With that said, I am still calling for Sheriff Jackson to resign from his position.
Continue reading ‘And One Remains….’
Now to the latest addition to our honor roll of people who disrespects the intelligence of the constituency….Prince George’s County Sheriff Michael Jackson.
Jackson is being added for a number of reason, including not apologizing for the flawed drug bust on the home of Berwyn Heights Mayor Cheye Calvo.
In his first interview with The Washington Post since the July sting, Jackson said that he was upset that the Calvos had called for and been granted a civil rights review by the FBI. Jackson said, “We hold everyone to the highest standards. I will not
put up with disrespecting this community and using this badge for more
than what it is. This badge is a ray of hope and a beacon of light.”
As far as the civil rights review, “I’ve been here 19 years, and this agency has been in existence since
1696. The Office of the Sheriff of Prince George’s County has never
been under a civil rights review or no one has ever called for the
Department of Justice to come in. There is no reason, there
has been no reason, and as long as I’m here there will not be a reason
for it.”
You mean to tell me sir that because you are the Sheriff, all is right with the sheriff’s office? You guys made a mistake and are not owning up to it. As far as your other assertion that there is no reason for a federal review, oh I beg to differ.
The Washington Post also recently reported that attorney Michael Winkleman is representing Frank and Pamela Myers whose dog was shot by sheriff’s deupties at their home in Accokeek in November. The authorities were using a warrant from a different home. Let’s just say they didn’t believe the Myers’. Winkleman is also representing Amber James who is suing the department for $4 million for searching her home without a warrant and threatening to shoot her dog in the process back in May of 2007.
Keep in mind, courts have ruled that it is almost unacceptable for police to kill pets while searching a home…and you are positive that the department has no need for a federal review? I guess the only county wide leader integrity we have left if State’s Attorney Glenn Ivey.
Prince George’s County Sheriff Michael Jackson…ALONG with Prince George’s County Police Chief Melvin High (for good measure)…this weekend’s WORST OF MARYLAND.
By the way, Maryland Politics Today is still calling for these two men to apologize to Mayor Calvo and his family, in addition to asking for the immediate resignation of High.
Berwyn Heights Mayor Cheye Calvo and his family was cleared of any wrong doing in regards to the package containing 32 pounds of weed inside. That package was set to go to a different destination and not to Calvo’s wife, Trinity Tomsic, as addressed on the package.
The Washington Post reporting today that Prince George’s County Police Chief Melvin High exonerated the mayor and his family, expressed regret that they were victimized by drug dealers and that their dogs were killed. High however DID NOT apologize.
Also not apologizing, county Sheriff Michael Jackson (D) who gave his first interview since the flawed operation from the end of July. Remember, the officers involved performed a no knock warrant when they did not have one, nor did they request one. More on Jackson in a minute.
Maryland Politics Today is still calling for an apology from Jackson and for an apology from High in addition to his resignation.
Prince George’s County SWAT team and county narcotics officers burst into the home of Berwyn Heights Mayor Cheye Calvo last week after officers saw the mayor accept a package that was delivered by officers posing as delivery men. That package which was traced from Arizona contained just above 30 pounds in marijuana.
Calvo in a email to The Gazette said that he was preparing to go to a community meeting when the SWAT team knocked the door down and shot and killed his two black labs. He then added that soon after he was forced to kneel on the floor while his mother-in-law was face down in another room. Calvo, 37, has been mayor of Berwyn Heights since 2004 and also works at the SEED Foundation. He was also an aide to former county councilwoman Audrey Scott (R). A rally to support the Mayor and his family was held over the weekend at the city’s sports park.
The Washington Post says that the package was addressed to Calvo’s wife, Trinity Tomsic, and that investigators are looking into the possibility that they were unwitting recipients and that a deliveryman might have intended to intercept the package as part of a drug smuggling scheme. A spokesman for the sheriff’s office said that the department regretted the shooting of the dogs however deputies on the scene felt threatened by them. Berwyn Heights police chief Patrick Murphy said that he was not notified of the raid. He has been vocal about his force not being informed of the raid.
This morning, The Post has learned that officers conducting the raid had the proper warrant to search the home, however, they did not have permission to knock the doors down as they have been stating at this time. The sheriff’s office has not said anything last Wednesday beyond their regret of shooting the dogs.
