Stephan Fogleman, challenger for Baltimore City state?s attorney, said a leaked e-mail to his campaign demonstrates that incumbent Patricia Jessamy is running her office politically to embarrass the police department.
The e-mail “is demonstrative evidence that the incumbent is trying to assail our crime-fighting technology by trying to undermine crime cameras,” he said.
The e-mail in question, sent by Jessamy?s spokeswoman Margaret Burns on Aug. 3, asks assistant state?s attorneys for police pole camera footage that is “grainy, blurry and hard to see for court identification purposes” in order to give that footage to a reporter.
An assistant state?s attorney leaked Fogleman the e-mail, he said.
Fogleman argued that the fact that Jessamy?s spokeswoman asked for grainy footage instead of clear footage shows Jessamy was making a political point, criticizing the police pole cameras, instead of championing them.
“It?s a leading question,” he said. “It?s saying, ?We want your worst video evidence.?”
Fogleman also said the request was a misuse of busy prosecutors? time.
But Burns said she was just doing her job ? complying with an Associated Press reporter?s request for problematic police camera footage. She said her office had clear police camera footage on hand.
“The communications division was doing its job,” she said. “It was responsive and forthcoming on a request that was made to our office. The reporter had asked to look at some video.”
The Associated Press reporter was not available for comment.
In an earlier article, The Examiner reported that city prosecutors have been forced to drop 40 percent of cases involving footage from police cameras.
Burns said the cameras sometimes produce grainy images of suspects that are useless for identification purposes.
Baltimore City Police Department spokesman Matt Jablow said he didn?t know the motives of the State?s Attorney?s Office in asking its prosecutors to submit grainy video to the press.
“It?s disappointing and troubling that Mrs. Jessamy?s communications office chooses to go to the media first before talking to us about problems that they have,” Jablow said.
“It?s also confusing when it comes to these cameras, because Mrs. Jessamy?s own prosecutors are constantly telling us what a wonderful tool they are.”
Fogleman also said he has opened a “whistle-blower” complaint line for his campaign, in hopes more prosecutors will leak him documents.
