08-25-2024 Guidebook - Flipbook - Page 44
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PUBLIC LIFE
PROTECT AND SERVE
A guide to Anne Arundel, Annapolis police departments
By Luke Parker
If it’s an emergency — whether it
requires police officers, firefighters or
emergency medical services — dial 911.
The Anne Arundel County Police
Department is the main law enforcement agency for the county, and the
Annapolis Police Department responds
to emergency calls within city limits.
The Anne Arundel County Sheriff’s
Office serves warrants and court paperwork such as eviction notices, also
handling security at the circuit courthouse in Annapolis.
Whereas the Annapolis department
has one station, at 199 Taylor Ave., the
county’s larger force is spread out. Anne
Arundel Police is headquartered in Millersville at 8495 Veterans Hwy., but has
stations in the northern, southern, eastern and western parts of the county:
Northern District Station: 939
Hammonds Lane, Brooklyn Park, 21225
Southern District Station: 35 Stepneys
Lane, Edgewater, 21037
Eastern District Station: 204 Pasadena
Road, Pasadena, 21122
Western District Station: 8273
Telegraph Road, Odenton, 21113
Chief Ed Jackson leads the Annapolis
Police Department. He has instituted a
cold case squad, a reentry program and
he is a proponent of community policing, combatting the social factors which
contribute to crime.
City police meet people in the
community, assess their needs and
promote programs they might not know
about, such as the city’s harm reduction
initiatives for substance users and the
Annapolis Police Department reentry
program, among other resources.
In 2022, the city named Richard Reynolds to head the jurisdiction’s LEAD
program, which stands for Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion. The program
aims to steer those charged with
low-level offenses, such as drug charges,
toward mental health and addiction
resources.
Anne Arundel County Police Chief
Amal Awad is the first woman to permanently hold the post, as well as the first
Black chief and the first to be a member
of the LGBTQ+ community.
Anne Arundel County Sheriff Everett Sesker waves to the crowd while marching in the 2023 City of Annapolis Memorial Day parade. JOHN
GILLIS/FREELANCE
In 2022, residents voted Everett
Sesker to be the 121st county sheriff and
the first Black man to hold one of Anne
Arundel’s oldest government positions.
Sesker has said he hopes to expand his
office’s responsibilities and connect
people accused of crimes to drug addiction or mental health resources.
Whereas police officers will respond
to every crime of violence, there are
certain types of property crimes you can
report over the phone or online. Anne
Arundel County Police provide more
guidance here: aacounty.org/departments/police-department/forms-publications/crime-report/.
Both departments have phone
numbers you can dial when it’s not an
emergency: 410-222-8610 for the county
and 410-268-4141 for the city.
Police encourage you to tell them
when you know something about a
crime. You can do so anonymously in
both jurisdictions. In Anne Arundel, call
the tip line at 410-222-4700. In Annapolis, you can leave a message for officers at 410-280-CLUE (2583), or dial
1-866-7LOCKUP to reach Metro Crime
Stoppers, where information leading to
an arrest or indictment could make you
eligible for a cash reward.
Both agencies provide avenues to
file a complaint against police officers
or other department personnel. Once
submitted, the Anne Arundel County
Police Accountability Board, a body of
citizens and former law enforcement
personnel, reviews the case and recommends possible discipline for the officer.
While the law enforcement agencies
investigate complaints, the county’s
Police Accountability Board asks citizens to submit their complaints directly
to them. To do so, and learn more about
the complaint process, you can fill out a
form at aacounty.org/boards-and-commissions/police-accountability-board/
complaint-form.
In Anne Arundel, you can call just
about any police phone number –
including 911 or the non-emergency line
– and someone will ask if you want to
speak with a police officer, or they can
take the complaint over the phone and
forward it to the department’s Office
of Professional Standards. You can also
file a complaint online by filling out this
form at aacounty.org/departments/
police-department/forms-publications/
complaint-officer-form.
Annapolis provides a similar form
for complaints against police officers
or other employees: annapolis.gov/
FormCenter/Police-Department-4/
Annapolis-Police-Department-Citizen-Comp-45.
