5 things to know about Annapolis Police Chief Ed Jackson

Mayor Gavin Buckley’s nominee Ed Jackson was unanimously voted on as the next Annapolis police chief at a special City Council meeting Wednesday.

Jackson was born and raised in Baltimore, spent his career between academia and law enforcement. After a nationwide review, a committee and four community meetings to gather data, Buckley recommended Jackson for the job.

Here are some of the things he’s talked to The Capital and community members about what he plans to do as new police chief.

A dive into cold cases

In 2016, Annapolis saw an increase of homicides that led to unsolved murders. Community advocates such as Bishop Charles Carroll speak often about the impact of gun violence and Sunday held a third vigil for his son, Charles Carroll Jr., whose death is just one that has gone unsolved. Residents turned to Jackson to ask directly about homicides and these cases.

Jackson responded by saying he would look at developing cold cases because family members “deserve to know what is going on.” In particular, he pointed out that there may not be closure for families because of the pain of losing a loved one but at least the families could be provided updates from the police.

Civilian review board

At the community meeting, a resident asked if Jackson would support a civilian review board in order to have more oversight from the community. When he said he would, the table erupted in applause.

Jackson mentioned that his experience has been in community outreach. For example, he served on the Baltimore Police Department Community Oversight Task Force as a resident, which then led him to returning to the department as inspector general in 2018.

Community policing

When residents asked extensively about trust between the community and the police, Jackson referenced a style he hopes to bring back — community policing.

Community policing focuses on principles that states “people are the public and the public are the police.” The concept includes involving police and members of the community to work together to solve problems.

For Jackson, he wants to bring in the same idea by applying fair treatment to everyone.

“Community policing is a philosophy, it is a way of thinking and interacting,” Jackson said. “I would love to see my cops get out of the car and just walk around and speak, and speak to everybody.”

Jackson pointed out that he wanted to address more than crime with the police department because he sees an opportunity for cross-collaboration between other Annapolis agencies like the fire department and the office of emergency management.

“The exciting part of this opportunity in Annapolis is that it gives me the opportunity that I have been waiting for a long time, to interact with my colleagues so we can collectively approach some of the problems. We can become the model, really, for the country,” Jackson said.

Leadership and police structure

If approved, Jackson also plans on reviewing the leadership team in the police department, he said. This is one of his first priorities if he becomes the chief.

“First thing is to evaluate the entire department, my priority is look at personnel and where they are at,” he said. “On the very first day, I plan on collecting resumes of all the command staff and learn who is in leadership.”

Along with reviewing his commanders, Jackson will also review the way money is spent, how evidence is processed and to provide additional training to address lawsuits, he said.

When remarking on police structure, he emphasized a need to have a formal relationship between himself and his officers because chiefs have to make tough decisions at times, he explained.

“You should care about their families and know you are interested in them but you have to let them know you are their chief and you are in charge of their careers,” he said.

“If they become too familiar and you with them then it opens up Pandora’s box that is hard to recover from and it can erode your leadership.”

An officer and an academic

Jackson was raised with his five siblings in a Baltimore public housing complex called Flag House in the early ’60s, a time he spoke reflected on fondly.

“We lived in a housing project for years, and I have some of the most wonderful memories growing up in a housing project because we were family,” Jackson said. “It was a community in those days.”

Jackson not only created a career within the Baltimore Police Department as a colonel and then later an inspector general, but he also focused on pursuing higher education. He received his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Coppin State University. He then got a master’s in applied behavioral sciences, with a focus in community development, from Johns Hopkins University. He is now pursuing his doctorate in public safety at Capella University school of Public Service Leadership.

His dissertation looks at the impact of absentee fathers.

He also taught criminal justice at Baltimore City Community College.