On May 17, 2013 The FOP’s “Motion to Enforce” against Baltimore County in the Retiree Subsidy case was heard in Baltimore County Circuit Court in front of Judge Finifter.

The hearing lasted about an hour.The County has ten (10) days to file its closing brief and the FOP has ten (10) days to respond.

It appears as though the County is attempting to either avoid or delay any resolution in this matter. The County has thus far ignored the Arbitrator, Circuit Court, Court of Special Appeals and Court of Appeals’ order in the Retiree Subsidy case and has not cooperated with our counsel in returning the affected employees to their proper health care subsidies or worked with our counsel to reimburse those who were affected.

The Lodge will disseminate any additional information as it becomes available.

Tolliver says decision not motivated by investigations

By Pamela Wood, The Baltimore Sun

Anne Arundel County’s police chief, Larry Tolliver, announced his resignation Tuesday.

“I am resigning today because the department needs a chief who can focus solely on the department’s mission, something that is challenging to do in the current environment,” Tolliver wrote in a statement.

Tolliver said his resignation, which will be effective May 21, was not motivated by a recent investigation into allegations that he used anti-gay slurs and retaliated against officers by changing their work assignments.

“Although it is contemporaneous with these events, my return to retirement is not stimulated by the widely reported recent complaint,” Tolliver said.

He also said his decision was not influenced by the fact that County Executive Laura Neuman is bringing in officers from Harford County and Montgomery County to investigate Anne Arundel’s department.

Former County Executive John R. Leopold brought Tolliver out of retirement last summer to lead the county’s police department. He took over for James Teare, who resigned amid an investigation into Leopold’s use of his police security detail for personal and political activities.

Leopold ultimately was convicted of misconduct in office and resigned. He served 30 days in jail.

pwood@baltsun.com

There is an effort to overturn the General Assembly’s recent repeal of the death penalty by petitioning the bill to referendum.  To get this issue on the ballot for the voters to decide in the next election will require 55,736 valid signatures.  The deadlines are listed below.  If you want this issue on the ballot in the next election, and you are a registered voter in Maryland, you can download the petition at mdpetitions.com

2013 Statewide Referendum Petition Filing

An act of the General Assembly can be placed on the 2014 General Election ballot by the submission of petitions containing at least 55,736 signatures of Maryland registered voters.

Timeline:

The Baltimore County Police Memorial Service will be held on Friday May 10, 2013 At 10:00am in front of the Police Memorial in Patriots Plaza in Towson.  We will honor the eight officers have lost their lives in the line-of-duty in the history of this department.

A reception will be held at FOP Lodge #4, 9304 Harford Road 21234 immediately following.

In lasting memory of those officers and families who made the ultimate sacrifice. Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God. Matthew 5:9

• Officer Edward Kuznar
• On December 9, 1969, Officer Edward Kuznar died as a result of a traffic accident. While on patrol near Kingsville, his vehicle was struck head-on by another vehicle that crossed the center line and struck his vehicle. The accident killed both Officer Kuznar and the driver of the other vehicle.

• Officer Charles Huckeba
• Officer Charles Huckeba was gunned down on July 6, 1977 in the Precinct1/Wilkens area while police were attempting to talk an armed, drug abusing man who was barricaded in his family’s home into surrendering.

• Corporal Samuel Snyder
• In August of 1983, Corporal Samuel Snyder, a thirty-year veteran of the department, was shot by a deranged subject while responding to a call for assistance from fellow officers in Towson. Corporal Snyder died on August 23, 1983 as a result of his wounds.

• Officer Robert Zimmerman
• On November 5, 1986, Officer Robert Zimmerman was struck by a vehicle and critically injured while on foot patrol on Edmondson Avenue. Officer Zimmerman died nine days later on November 14, 1986 as a result of his injuries.

• Sergeant Bruce Prothero
• On February 7, 2000, Sergeant Bruce Prothero , a married father of five, was working part time as a security guard at a jewelry store on Reisterstown Road when four armed men robbed the store. When Sergeant Prothero followed the robbers out of the store, he was shot twice and died an hour later as a result of his wounds.

• Officer John Stem
• Officer John Stem was shot on July 6, 1977 in the Precinct1/Wilkens area while police were attempting to talk an armed, drug abusing man who was barricaded in his family’s home into surrendering. Officer Stem died on October 19, 2000 of complications of paraplegia caused by his line of duty wounds. Officer Charles Huckeba was also fatally wounded during the same incident.

• Sergeant Mark Parry
• On December 27, 2001 Sergeant Mark Parry was on patrol in Towson when a drunk driver struck his unmarked police vehicle. The driver fled the scene and was arrested a short distance away. Sergeant Parry died on January 21, 2002 from injuries he sustained in that motor vehicle accident.

• Lieutenant Michael Howe
• On the morning of August 10, 2008, Lieutenant Michael Howe was with his tactical unit at the scene of a murder-suicide in Precinct 4/Pikesville. When he returned home after the incident, he suffered a massive stroke and was taken to the hospital. He died on August 11

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation which designated May 15th as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls as Police Week. Currently, tens of thousands of law enforcement officers from around the world converge on Washington, DC to participate in a number of planned events which honor those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

The Memorial Service began in 1982 as a gathering in Senate Park of approximately 120 survivors and supporters of law enforcement. Decades later, the event, more commonly known as National Police Week, has grown to a series of events which attracts thousands of survivors and law enforcement officers to our Nation’s Capital each year.

The National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service, which is sponsored by the Grand Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, is one in a series of events which includes the Candlelight Vigil, which is sponsored by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) and seminars sponsored by Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.)

National Police Week draws in between 25,000 to 40,000 attendees. The attendees come from departments throughout the United States as well as from agencies throughout the world. This provides a unique opportunity to meet others that share a common brotherhood. In that spirit, the Fraternal Order of Police DC Lodge #1 sponsors receptions each afternoon and evening during Police Week. These events are open to all law enforcement personnel and are an experience unlike any other.

http://www.policeweek.org/index.html

28th Fallen Heroes Day

28th FALLEN HEROES DAY TO HONOR POLICE/FIREFIGHTER KILLED IN LINE OF DUTY  Annual ceremony provides opportunity to show appreciation for police/firefighters who risk lives daily

On Friday, May 3, 2013, hundreds of law enforcement officers and firefighters, dignitaries and members of the community, family and friends will gather at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens for the 28th Annual Fallen Heroes Day, a day set-aside to honor and remember those who died in the line of duty. The 1:00 p.m. ceremony, which honors those whose deaths have been declared “line of duty” during the past year, is the only statewide ceremony in the nation that brings together all segments of the public safety community. Fallen Heroes Day salutes police and correctional officers, firefighters, emergency medical and rescue personnel who risk their lives everyday to protect the citizens of Maryland.

Since the May 2012 Fallen Heroes Day ceremony the deaths of five police officers, one correctional officer and one firefighter have been designated as line of duty. They are:

• Deputy First Class Teresa L. Testerman, Harford County Sheriff’s Office, November 29, 2010*

• Firefighter Christopher M. Staley, Cobb Island VFD, August 6, 2011*

• Officer William D. Talbert, Montgomery County Police Department, January 27, 2012*

• Private First Class Officer Adrian Morris, Prince George’s County Police Department, August 20, 2012

• Officer Forrest Taylor, Baltimore Police Department, August 29, 2012

• Corporal Charles B. Licato, Harford County Sheriff’s Office, September 6, 2012

• Sergeant Ian A. Loughran, Harford County Sheriff’s Office, September 13, 2012
* Line-of-duty designation declared since May 2012

The 28th Annual Fallen Heroes Day ceremony will begin with a procession of more than 25 honor guard units from across the state, police motorcycle and mounted units, bagpipers and drummers. Elected leaders including, Governor Martin O’Malley and Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz will give memorial addresses. Former Baltimore Orioles catcher and 1983 World Series MVP Rick Dempsey will be the special guest speaker and Mary Beth Marsden (WBAL Radio) will serve as the emcee. Additionally, Casey Brooks, the daughter of Corporal Courtney Brooks, honored as a Fallen Hero in 2008, will share a remembrance of her father. During the ceremony, the families of the 2013 Fallen Heroes will be presented with a replica of the Fallen Heroes memorial and the families of two previous fallen heroes (one police officer, one firefighter) will be presented with Governor’s Proclamations.

“Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens is privileged to be the home of Maryland’s Fallen Heroes Memorial,” said John O. Mitchell, III, Chairman of Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens. “Beyond honoring those who have died in the line duty during the past year, Fallen Heroes Day provides an opportunity for the citizens of Maryland to take time to show appreciation and respect for the dedicated public servants who risk their lives each day when they report to work.”

In 1976, 330 burial spaces at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens were set-aside for fallen heroes and their spouses by John Armiger, Sr., founder of the cemetery. In 1986 John Armiger, Jr. established the tradition of honoring those who have given their lives for the community in the only statewide ceremony for fallen heroes. In June 2007, Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens was purchased by John O. Mitchell, III of the family-owned Mitchell-Wiedefeld Funeral Home in Rodgers Forge/Towson, MD. The Mitchell family is proud to continue the tradition of Fallen Heroes Day. Sixty-five members of the public safety community are buried at the Fallen Heroes Memorial.

Keeping with tradition, Governor Martin O’Malley has issued a proclamation declaring May 3, 2013 as Fallen Heroes Day in Maryland and has ordered flags flown at half-staff at the State House and all state facilities. During the service, a replica of the Fallen Heroes Memorial and a resolution from the Maryland General Assembly will be presented to the families of the fallen heroes being honored this year.
The Fallen Heroes Memorial is located within Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens, 200 East Padonia Road, Timonium, MD 21093.

http://www.foxbaltimore.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/lutherville-school-groundbreaking-turns-into-protest-scene-19260.shtml?wap=0&#.UXrZTkout48

Kamenetz takes the podium at about the 4 minute mark.