A town in the US is shocked because it was left without police officers

2024-03-21 16:32:25

RIDGELY, Maryland. A small town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore has suspended its entire police force pending the results of an investigation by state prosecutors, a largely inexplicable decision that has left residents shocked, skeptical and nervous.

What happened in Ridgely suggests that even the country’s most rural communities are feeling the effects of the outrage generated by the murder of George Floyd.

Unusual situation in the US

Without a police force in Ridgely, at least temporarily, people are concerned about response times if they need help. And they still don’t know why they closed their police department.

In a statement posted on the city government’s website last week, officials said Ridgely’s three-member commission had “suspended with pay the entire Ridgely Police Department” and that the state attorney’s office — which handles cases of public misconduct, election fraud—ethics law violations and more, is investigating.

For his part, Ridgely’s chief operating officer, David Crist, declined to provide The Associated Press with even basic information about the suspensions, including the number of police officers. The department’s website says it employs a half-dozen officers.

“We were caught off guard,” said Holly Justice, a spa owner in Ridgely. “It makes you question the integrity of the people they are supposed to protect and serve.”

This is not the first time Ridgely has been under scrutiny for his police practices.

The department made headlines several years ago when its then-chief was involved in the 2018 death of 19-year-old Anton Black in neighboring Greensboro.

Black died after officers restrained him for more than five minutes while handcuffing and shackling him. His family filed a wrongful death lawsuit and received a $5 million settlement from three East Coast towns, including Ridgely.

Crime in the county has been notoriously low for decades. According to federal crime data, Caroline County, which includes Ridgely, has reported four homicides since 2000. And in Ridgely, violent crime peaked in 2010 with a total of 41 incidents reported.

But Black’s deadly arrest was a sadly familiar scenario: a young black man taking his last breath during a traumatic encounter with police.

Maryland lawmakers passed a police accountability package in 2021 that included a Black memorial project to expand public access to police disciplinary records.

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Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report.

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