Two Annapolis Police Officers Suspended After Reporting Mismanagement

On March 13, 2024, Annapolis Police Department (APD) officers and UFCW Local 400 members met with Tricia Hopkins, Annapolis Human Resource Manager, and Mike Malinoff, Annapolis City Manager, to discuss concerns about waste and mismanagement within the department. Due to the serious nature of the issues raised, Mr. Malinoff arranged a follow-up meeting with Mayor Gavin Buckley on May 3, 2024, where UFCW Local 400 members shared their concerns directly with the mayor.

Maryland law protects police officers who disclose information evidencing mismanagement and waste of government resources. According to Maryland Code, Public Safety section 3-110, officers cannot be discharged, disciplined, or otherwise discriminated against for making such disclosures.

Despite these protections, on July 20, 2024, Chief Edward Jackson suspended two officers who had met with the mayor. The suspension notice stated that the officers allegedly brought discredit upon the Annapolis Police Department, Chief Jackson, Major Branford, and other members of the agency during the May 3 meeting.

The UFCW Local 400 issued the following statement regarding the suspensions:

The officers who met with the mayor did so as whistleblowers and union shop stewards on behalf of their fellow officers and union members. Not reporting waste and mismanagement was not an option. They did the right thing, and retaliating against union members for speaking out about their working conditions is brazenly unlawful.

As a result, two officers are off the street indefinitely and are unable to work while an outside agency investigates the allegations. But in a clear conflict of interest, the investigation is to be conducted by the Baltimore Police Department, the same department that virtually the entire command staff is from. We call for another agency without a clear conflict of interest to complete this investigation.

The suspensions of these lawful whistleblowers are punitive and retaliatory in nature and blatantly illegal. We demand that these officers be immediately returned to service. We call for the immediate removal of Chief Jackson and his Baltimore-based command staff. There are ample homegrown, highly-capable officers that could run the Annapolis Police Department with professionalism and integrity. The Jackson team has proven unfit to lead the fine men and women of the Annapolis police department.

UFCW 400

Eye On Annapolis has reached out to the Mayor’s Office for comment. The Annapolis Police Department declined to comment stating it was an “internal matter.”

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