DISTRICT HEIGHTS, Md. — Social media has hurt policing.
That’s according to New Carrollton Police Chief David Rice, who told Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin at a Prince George’s County forum that his officers are holding back in the field, weighing the risks of taking action versus how it might look.
“Right now, we’re under fire,” Rice told Cardin. “Officers are losing their jobs, and their careers, based on public opinion before the facts ever come out.”
The police chief said the effect is amplified when public officials openly discuss cases that are still being investigated. Rice told Cardin he wants support from elected leaders.
In response, Cardin said he’s “deeply concerned that good people won’t go into law enforcement today because of the risk factors of doing their job right, and finding out their life could be ruined, their career could be ruined” by public criticism of a single action before a case is reviewed.
Cardin said he’s also concerned that officers might not enforce the law as vigorously as they should out of fears that their actions could lead to misconduct accusations.
“There hasn’t been balance in this area,” Cardin said, referring to the challenges police face versus incidents where there have been allegations of misconduct.
Another concern discussed by police chiefs: help with the process of securing federal grant money. One police official said it can be a full-time job to apply, draft and monitor the progress of a grant. That’s just not feasible for small police departments.
Care for people with mental health was also an issue. Police chiefs say the public turns to law enforcement when finding treatments and placements for people becomes critical.
In terms of helping protect first responders, Cardin touted the success of his bill that created a federal “Blue Alert” system. Just as Amber Alerts help connect lookouts for children in danger across the country, the “Blue Alert” is designed to help notify police departments when an officer is injured by a suspect, or a suspect has made clear the intention to target police.
Cardin introduced the bill in 2010, but it was signed into law this year.
It’s been named for Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, two New York City police officers who were killed in December by a man who fled to the city after shooting an estranged girlfriend in Owings Mills, Maryland.
WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report.
