High AND Jackson must go!

If you have been reading my blog, Maryland Politics Today or the blog where I am a contributor, Red Maryland, then you know what will be happening in the ensuing paragraphs. However, I think it is important to recap the events that happened that drove us to this point according to news accounts.

On Tuesday, July 29, the home of Cheye Calvo, the mayor of Berwyn Heights in Prince George’s County, was raided by the county sheriff’s SWAT team and narcotics police officers. Prior to the raid, police posing as deliverymen delivered a package to the home addressed to Calvo’s wife, Trinity Tomsic. Calvo’s mother-in-law, Georgia Porter, was instructed to leave the package on the porch.

Calvo brought the package inside the home after he returned from walking his two Black Labrador Retrievers, Payton and Chase. Officers raided the home an hour later forcing Porter to the floor in the kitchen. Officers arrested Calvo while he was preparing to go to a community meeting. The two dogs were shot and killed by officers. They claimed that Payton and Chase were coming after them. Calvo and Porter were interrogated for a good amount of time before they were released without being charged.

The way in which the SWAT team and narcotics officers raided the home was pursuant to a “no-knock” warrant, which they claimed officers had in possession. It turn’s out, that is not true. Officers had only a regular warrant, which Calvo says was never shown to him. It should also be noted that the Berwyn Heights police department was not notified at all as to what was going to happen that day.

County police chief Melvin High and county sheriff Michael Jackson both have refused to apologize for their actions. High, as quoted by WRC-TV (Channel 4), “In some quarters this has been viewed as a flawed police operation and an attack on the mayor, which it is not. This operation was taken in the pursuit of drug trafficking.” Apparently this bit of arrogance has a trickle down effect.

Mark Spencer, the inspector general of the Prince George’s County Police told Kojo Nhamdi on WAMU (88.5FM) when asked if he could identify anything that went wrong from the information he had so far, “At this time, I can’t identify anything that was done wrong.” I encourage everyone to listen to Mr. Nhamdi’s show from this past Friday, August 8 to hear the “stellar” performance of Spencer in the last six minutes, particularly the part where he is proud of the consent decree and memorandum of understanding with the Justice Department over the last four years in regards to their operations, especially the department’s use of force.

Not a flawed operation? Nothing was done wrong? Excuse me, but according to the numerous accounts in the press, those officers who executed the warrant overstepped their bounds. First, they execute a “no-knock” warrant that they did not even have. Second, the officers shot and killed two dogs, which courts across the country have ruled is equal to unreasonable seizure of property. The dogs, I’m sorry animal lovers, are a moot point because the operation was flawed from the start by not knocking in the door. High cleared Calvo and his family of the charges, expressed regret about what happened to Payton and Chase, BUT HE DID NOT APOLOGIZE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED.

If that was not bad enough, county sheriff Jackson not only refused to apologize, but he proudly proclaimed that there was no reason for a federal review while he was sheriff. If that is that was the case, then why is there a lawyer representing TWO parties over the actions of his deputies? One of those parties, Frank and Pamela Myers, said their dog was shot, never mind that deputies raided the wrong house.

The sad part is that for the most part, Jackson had kept a low profile when compared to High, County Executive Jack Johnson (D) and State’s Attorney Glenn Ivey (D). I guess the only honorable countywide servant we have is Ivey. We all know what I think of Johnson and Lord knows High has proven himself to be a disaster. Jackson was an outright surprise that he would not acknowledge that his agency had got it wrong.

I live in Prince George’s County, and I am proud of the fact that I grew up here. However, I have to say that today, I am no longer proud of the leadership of the county, with the exception of Ivey. I am proud to defend the officers of this county, many of whom do a great job. I am proud to defend the sheriff deputies, who also do a great job. Are there bad officers or deputies? Sure, but when we hear about the actions of those less honorable public servants, they are for the most part vocal minorities. Am I proud of High and Jackson, BIG FAT NO!

High has held on to his job for a lot longer than normal when compared with his counterparts who allow the homicide rate to rise and at one point break the record for the category. When homicides started to go out of control in Baltimore City this time last year, Mayor Sheila Dixon (D) fired police commissioner Leonard Hamm. I understand spikes in crime every now and again, but for an affluent county of its size, homicides should not be hovering in the triple digits. Also, leaders do not hide behind their spokespeople.

Jackson is turning out to be just absolutely arrogant in this matter. If Calvo and his family were victims of a flawed police operation and another house in Accokeek was part of one as well with similar circumstances, don’t you think you would welcome a review just to make sure there is not a pattern here?

I have been biting my tongue on calling for the resignation of Jackson, but at this point, maybe the county would be better off. With that in mind, I, as a citizen of Prince George’s County, am calling for police chief Melvin High, to move his last day up from August 31 to…immediately. This county has suffered for too long under sub-par crime control due to bad management and incompetence. I am also calling on High to formally apologize to Berwyn Heights Mayor Cheye Calvo and his family, a real apology and not a politically correct one.

I am also calling for county sheriff Michael Jackson to apologize to the Calvo family, in addition to his resignation. I wouldn’t have asked for the latter but according to the two other accounts reported in The Washington Post, which were mentioned earlier, you are the sheriff and two flawed operations happened on your watch, including the search of a home without a warrant and threatening to shoot the dog there.

Your agencies messed up. That’s it. If you are afraid of a lawsuit to be filed against the county, that door opened when officers invited themselves into Calvo’s home by force, in addition to not showing him the warrant being executed and shooting the dogs. Civil rights anyone?

If these gentlemen love Prince George’s County, they would resign and allow new humble (and competent) leadership to take the reins. Maybe then, the county will improve its image as the place where cowboy justice is no more.