The new police chief of a Maryland town bordering Northeast D.C. has been charging an extra $75 for towing without council approval, officials said.
Brentwood Police Chief David Risik — the sole officer on the town’s one-man force — tacked on the fee to vehicle release charges without informing the county council, according to Councilwoman Marlene Robinson.
A Brentwood resident whose farm tractor was impounded last month challenged the charges and brought the fee — which brings towing costs to nearly $300 — to the council’s attention.
Council members ordered Risik to nix the charge and sent out a June 25 letter to residents calling it “improper” and offering residents a refund. Risik did not return phone calls for this story.
Risik’s fee revenues were being funneled into an account belonging to the town, according to Brentwood Treasurer Orson Carter.
“An account was set up to collect that money,” Carter said.
Brentwood hired Risik in December after the council voted to re-establish its long-defunct police department.
Before Brentwood, Risik spent four years working for the New Carrollton Police Department.
Risik almost lost his Brentwood job last month when council members allowed his contract to expire because they couldn’t agree on hiring him again. Risik continued to sign off on speed camera violations in the two weeks following his contract expiration, and the town is now offering drivers refunds for tickets issued during that time. Maryland law prohibits nonactive officers to validate tickets.
Brentwood Mayor Xzavier Montgomery-Wright has since extended Risik’s contract.
“We took care of that,” Risik told The Washington Examiner in an interview for a prior story. “That’s all taken care of.”
Robinson said she will be questioning Risik’s contract reinstating him at the next council meeting, noting that the chief recently erected a 50-foot trailer outside council headquarters to house his operation.
Robinson said she voted against the contract.
“I’ve been catching holy heck for it,” Robinson said.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correctly reflect an interview with Councilwoman Marlene Robinson
