The American Civil Liberties Union has requested a copy of a letter Deputy Police Commissioner Marcus Brown wrote to City Council Member Kenneth Harris regarding the Police Department?s arrest policies.
The letter, sent in response to queries from Harris about police procedures, is one of many documents the organization is reviewing as part of an ongoing study of city arrest policies, said ACLU spokeswoman Meredith Curtis.
“The ACLU is clearly thinking there are problems with illegal arrests in a Baltimore City, and we continue to reach out to the community,” she said.
The letter, which Harris received Monday, was termed “inappropriately worded” by City Council President Sheila Dixon during Monday?s City Council meeting. The passage that garnered criticism from Dixon said other council members had contacted deputy commissioner Brown and expressed interest in extra police.
“If you do not want police to enforce quality of life crimes in your district, they would be glad to have the added enforcement in theirs,” Brown?s letter stated, referring to council members who had contacted him. Harris, D-District 4, termed the letter “insulting.”
“It also didn?t answer my questions,” Harris said.
Harris said he agreed to give the ACLU with a copy of the letter.
Police spokesman Matt Jablow has said the letter has been misinterpreted. “We would never, ever do that,” he said of the suggestion that the letter implied officers would be pulled from Harris? district. Brown, a 14-year member of the force, has attracted attention because of the letter. Harris, who recently introduced a resolution calling for an investigation into arrest quotas, told The Examiner that he recently had a “productive” meeting with Commissioner Leonard Hamm to discuss police policy, and was waiting on a response from Hamm on questions surrounding specific arrests about which Harris? office had received complaints. “I?m waiting for the commissioner?s response,” he said. “We need answers about what policies are in place so I can answer citizens when they call.”
