Crooning “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah,” Derek Propalis tells callers on his answering machine: Today is, in fact, a wonderful day.
Last Monday, he may have changed his tune.
Propalis, a longtime Baltimore County code enforcement officer, was arrested on charges of impersonating a police officer after a Maryland Natural Resources official caught him wearing an authentic state trooper uniform in Elk Neck Park in Cecil County.
Propalis, 56, also was charged with marijuana possession and trespassing in a state forest after hours.
And this wasn?t the first time.
Propalis, of Parkville, also was arrested in 2002 in Elk Neck Park, that time on charges of impersonating a Baltimore County police officer, according to court records. He was arrested and charged with drug possession and discharging a firearm in Baltimore City in 1999 and received probation for possessing drugs and a handgun in 1995.
“We have no evidence Mr. Propalis has confronted anybody and presented himself as a police officer,” said Cpl. Steve Stauffer of the Department of Natural Resources. “We believe this is just a personal issue he has with uniforms.”
Don Mohler, Baltimore County spokesman, said Propalis ? a 30-year county employee who last year earned $61,000 ? has been suspended with pay pending the outcome of the investigation. The county is not automatically notified if employees become the subject of criminal investigations, Mohler said.
As a code enforcement officer, Propalis inspects homes to enforce zoning, electrical and maintenance regulations, which could cover everything from proper permits to build a deck to overgrown lawns.
Propalis did not return a call Sunday. Several co-workers declined to comment.
Jim Miller, president of the county?s largest employee union, the Federation of Public Employees, said Propalis was once active in the organization, but declined to comment further.
Baltimore County officials just weeks ago purchased uniforms for code enforcement officers.
WJZ-13 contributed to this report.
