The Montgomery County police officer who used a racial slur while investigating a report of black men loitering outside a White Oak fast-food restaurant in mid-May has been put on desk duty during the investigation into the incident, authorities said.
A video posted to social media showed the white officer make a derogatory remark during an investigation and the incident brought widespread denunciation and a response from the County Council requesting additional body camera footage, details about police stops and the department’s official policy against racial profiling.
The officer was placed on administrative leave for a few days after the incident, then was assigned to desk duty, interim police chief Marcus Jones said. He added the assignment is not a permanent move.
“We’re going through the disciplinary process now, she’s on desk duty until further notice,” Jones said.
The officer has been with the department for more than a decade. The department has not released her name, citing state law and the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights.
While the police department issued a statement after the video went viral on social media and released footage from another officer’s body-worn camera, it has not released images from cameras worn by other officers. As many as nine officers were on the scene after receiving a complaints of trespassing and loitering at a McDonald’s in White Oak.
“I have heard from many MCPD officers that they are embarrassed and upset by this incident and who would not want to work with this officer,” at-large County Council member Will Jawando wrote in an email. “It’s my hope that the leadership of MCPD and the County Executive, who handle MCPD employees, will take significant disciplinary action.”
Jones said additional body camera footage will be released once it is compiled, as requested by the council. This reiterates the department’s intentions stated in a response to the County Council letter.
The department has had “an open dialogue” with numerous residents who have reached out about the incident, which also upset fellow officers, Jones said.
“It has no place, ever, in this police department,” Jones said.
Treatment of minorities was a frequent topic of conversation at a public forum earlier this month on the selection of a new police chief. Residents mentioned a lack of trust in the police.
“We need to be focusing on building relationships with communities and de-escalation techniques as opposed to arrests and tickets,” Jawando said. “I am hopeful that the new chief will review how officers are directed and will confront the systems that have lead to disparate outcomes for people of color, less affluent individuals and immigrants.”
Jawando and Council member Hans Riemer introduced legislation to establish a Policing Advisory Commission on Tuesday, Riemer announced in an email to residents. The commission would allow citizens to assist with county police department policy formulation.
County Executive Marc Elrich has routinely stated a desire to have “a diverse group of people” involved in the selection of the new chief. Residents will be appointed to two review panels as part of the three-phase process.
The candidate list has been trimmed to under 20, though Jones is still in the mix, Elrich said.
The county’s longtime chief, J. Thomas Manger, retired in April.
Charlie Wright can be reached at charlie.wright@moco360.media