Annapolis police chief discusses community policing, pandemic shifts, reform and staff diversity during public forum

In the days after a fatal shooting last October, city police Chief Ed Jackson led Mayor Gavin Buckley and Alderman DaJuan Gay through the apartment complex where Annapolis resident 30-year-old Tierra Taylor lived and died.

Neighbors who were milling about outside the Bens Drive apartment complex were friendly, Jackson recalled. They expressed sadness at a young life taken so prematurely. As they talked, he said he noticed the stench of urine in the air and trash and other refuse scattered in the hallway near the crime scene.

Jackson said the scene spoke to the hopelessness that can seep into communities where residents have lost faith in their leaders and law enforcement officers. He pointed to Taylor’s homicide as an example of how community policing could prevent such crimes during a public forum Monday night.

The discussion, led by Bishop Craig Coates, touched on law enforcement’s role during the pandemic, policy gaps he would like to address, a proposed citizen review board and his accomplishments over the last 12 months.

“My point being is that crime is environmental as well,” said Jackson, who is just over a week away from completing his first year as the city’s top cop.

Community policing has been top of Jackson’s priorities since his swearing-in last July. Police officers collaborating with residents build trust that can change how police are viewed in the community, Jackson said. Even during the coronavirus pandemic, which has eliminated large gatherings and most close encounters between officers and residents, that are key to building trust.

Policing during the pandemic has been a balance of enforcing the law and not being heavy-handed in its application, Jackson said. Both the county and city police departments have opted to take an educational approach, such as gently notifying residents of standing executive orders and handing out masks.

Since March, the department has received 184 calls for complaints of people not practicing social distancing or wearing a mask. Officers have not arrested anyone, and only a handful of warnings were issued.

“We’re not going to engage in behavior that incites things that are not necessary,” he said. “I’ve taken a real diplomatic approach because I don’t want people taking to the streets in frustration.”

That has not stopped activists from filling the streets in the two months following George Floyd’s killing by a white Minneapolis officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. The killing brought increased scrutiny on law enforcement practices and calls to reform police departments and reallocate funding.

Jackson condemned police brutality in all forms following Floyd’s death.

“Any agency head, any police commissioner or police chief who doesn’t believe that change is coming kind of has their head buried in their sand,” he said.

Jackson, who has attended several Black Lives Matter protests in Annapolis, knelt for 8:46 during a prayer vigil in June.

Asked if his officers understand the message of the Black Lives Matter movement, he said, “I think most do even if they don’t agree with the demands.”

During budget negotiations last month, the Annapolis City Council approved an amendment that would hold open 14 police jobs to save about $840,000 in salary and benefit costs. The city has also formed a committee to explore the creation of a civilian review board, a move that Jackson has previously said he supports.

“The cities that do have civilian review boards have a better bond with the community,” he said Monday.

He assured viewers that the board will be run independently and would not replace the department’s existing internal affairs unit. William Rowel, a top advisor for Buckley, has headed up the board’s creation.

Jackson said he was most proud of the cold case unit he formed to investigate dozens of unsolved homicides dating back decades. The unit has not solved any cases yet, he said, but he was pleased with the group’s work so far.

The chief did express concern about the rise in gun violence in recent months, a trend found throughout the country. While crime more broadly has dipped during the pandemic, gun-related incidents have ticked up in the city, he said.

Jackson also touched on department diversity, pointing to the need for more people of color and women need to be hired, he said, adding that more women need promotions within the department.

Later in the hour-long forum, Jackson made a promise to change policies to be more inclusive to the LGBTQ community and protecting the civil rights of all Annapolis residents.

“A lot of people from the community don’t report (incidents) because they don’t have faith that the criminal justice system will take them seriously,” he said. “If you have ever been a victim of a hate crime or crime directed toward you based on your sexual orientation, or how you identify, it’s very important … we want to know about it, and I promise you, it’ll be investigated with the full faith of our ability, and it won’t be taken lightly.”