Police Union: Annapolis Police Officers Plan to Hold Vote of No Confidence in Police Chief
The vote will reportedly take place electronically on Thursday, August 8, 2024 following a meeting of the officers.
“We don’t make this decision lightly,” said John Lee, UFCW Local 400 Collective Bargaining Director and former Annapolis Police Detective. “A vote of no confidence in leadership is a serious sign of trouble in the department, and in this case we feel it is absolutely merited.”
According to a statement issued by the union, the vote comes on the heels of meetings with the city administration raising serious issues plaguing the department’s leadership team, including the chief’s failure to maintain the department’s Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) Accreditation, known as the “gold standard in public safety.”
The union also disputes the recent suspension of two officers and union shop stewards for reporting waste and mismanagement to City Hall. The retaliatory disciplinary action is in violation of Section 3-110 of Maryland Code, which protects officers from unlawful discipline for reporting mismanagement (among other things). The suspensions also violate federal labor law that protects union members speaking to management about their working conditions. The union has filed Unfair Labor Practice charges and grievances against the department, and is supporting the two officers in filing an injunction to reverse the suspensions.
“As with any workplace, we will do everything in our power to protect our members from unlawful retaliation by management,” said Mark P. Federici, President of UFCW Local 400. “The officers who met with the mayor did so as whistleblowers and union shop stewards on behalf of their fellow officers and union members. We will not tolerate any retaliation against them for responsibly performing their duties.”
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