Baltimore City Councilman Ken Harris demanded Monday the pension board investigate the controversial pension awarded to former police Deputy Commissioner Marcus Brown.
“I hereby request that a complete review of this matter be investigated,” Harris, D, District 4, said in a letter to the pension board.
Harris questioned the “legality” of the pension, asking the board to suspend payments to Brown if necessary. (Click here to read Harris’ letter.)
“If your review finds that a full pension benefit was not warranted, I ask that you suspend and future payments or benefits immediately,” he wrote.
At issue is the $55,529 annual pension approved for Brown even though he did not complete the 20 years of service required to receive a pension.
In a Jan. 29 letter, Police Commissioner Leonard Hamm told Brown he notified pension officials of Brown?s “layoff” from the department effective March 29 ? which under an exception in Brown?s contract would allow him to receive a pension ? even though Brown accepted a job as chief of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police three days earlier.
City Solicitor George Nilson said Brown was not Hamm?s choice, and Brown?s contract was intended to protect Brown should he be fired. Hamm has not stated publicly if he intended to fire Brown, although the timing of the letter, sent after Brown?s appointment to his new post, has raised questions.
Meanwhile State Delegate Jill Carter, D District 41, sent a letter to State Prosecutor Robert Rohrbaugh asking his office to investigate.
“The integrity of Police Commissioner Hamm has been called into question,” Carter wrote in an e-mail to Rohrbaugh. “This is a matter of public trust that, at the very least, has an appearance of impropriety. There is too much at stake here not to investigate.”
Responding to questions regarding Brown?s pension, Hamm reiterated his argument that the benefit was legal.
“Everything was approved,” Hamm said. “Everything was legal.”
“The pension board has signed off on every one of them,” Hamm said, referring to similardeals made city for unnamed city police officers.
