- The 1,600 residents of Ridgely, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, were informed in a terse two-line statement that their police department had been suspended.
- Residents accused the city of treating them like children by offering no reason for the “Maryland State Attorney’s Office investigation.”
- The mystery has left residents baffled about what the officers they know so well could have done.
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Residents of a small Maryland town are demanding “the truth” after all of their police officers were ordered to resign pending an investigation by the state attorney.
The people of Ridgely learned in a terse two-line announcement on the city’s website that its three commissioners have “suspended with pay the entire Ridgely Police Department effective (sic) immediately.”
The commissioners have been accused of treating their 1,600 citizens like children and leaving crime victims dependent on Caroline County Sheriff’s Office deputies to reach them in time.
“What’s very concerning is that they didn’t communicate with us honestly and openly,” said Laura Cline, a longtime city resident.
‘Treat us with respect. We are adults; Thinking and rational adults who deserve the truth.
Ridgely Police Department officers, with current Chief Jeff Eckrich second from left, in an October 2023 photo.
Police in the city of 1,600 people will now be covered by the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office.
The sleepy town just two miles from the Delaware border is best known for its annual winter festival, which attracts thousands of visitors.
The entire county has recorded just four homicides since 2000 and the drastic measure has left residents perplexed as to what their well-known officers could have done wrong.
“It doesn’t add up,” said Gennie Woo, a downtown business owner for more than 40 years. ‘Everyone is skeptical about what happened. We just want to know how and why.
But the city has not escaped the controversies that have plagued police departments across the country in recent years, and the city had to pay its share of a $5 million settlement to Anton Black’s family.
who died in police custody in 2018.
The 19-year-old died while being restrained by police outside his home in neighboring Greensboro, one of whom was then-Ridgely Police Chief Gary Manos, who intervened after spotting the incident while off-duty.
Maryland lawmakers passed a police accountability package in 2021 that included a Black memorial bill to expand public access to police disciplinary records due to questions about past misconduct allegations against an involved officer. in his death.
An officer hired last year in Ridgely had faced misconduct allegations in Delaware before joining the department, court records show.
That officer resigned in January. Another Ridgely officer was hired despite having an arrest record in Delaware.
The city’s current chief, Jeff Eckrich, spent most of his career with the Prince George’s County Police Department in the D.C. suburbs, including 12 years as a homicide detective, before joining the department in Ridgely.
The State Attorney’s Office, which investigates suspended officers, often pursues cases of public misconduct, election fraud and violations of ethics laws.
“The Commissioners are currently developing a temporary agreement with the Caroline County Sheriff’s Department to ensure uninterrupted public safety services for the citizens of the City of Ridgely,” the statement on the city’s website concludes.
The city is best known for its annual winter festival which attracts thousands of visitors.
Violent crime in the city peaked in 2010 with 41 incidents recorded.
The town near the Delaware border will now be policed ​​by deputies from Caroline County, where only four homicides have been recorded since 2000.
Commissioners have refused to answer questions from the public, leaving residents perplexed and angry.
Holly Justice, who owns a spa just across the street from police headquarters, said she used to greet them frequently.
“They took us by surprise,” he added.
‘It makes you question the integrity of the people they are supposed to protect and serve.
‘Like I know those guys. It just makes you wonder.’
Dailymail.com has contacted city commissioners.