Arundel NAACP head calls on council to investigate Leopold

President calls 'silence' about enemies-list dossiers 'unacceptable'

The president of the Anne Arundel County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on Monday night called for the County Council to investigate allegations that the county executive compiled an "enemies list" of his political foes.

Jacqueline Boone Allsup, president of the NAACP, told the council the allegations are "disheartening," and admonished them for not acting.

"The silence of the County Council is unacceptable," said Allsup.

County Executive John R. Leopold, a Republican, was indicted this month and charged with four counts of misconduct in office and one count of misappropriation of county funds. The indictment alleges he used his taxpayer-funded security detail to perform personal and political errands, including compiling dossiers on his political opponents.

Last week, the county released records alleged to have been compiled on three of Leopold's foes. The county said it would not release some records, because they allegedly had been accessed through a state-wide criminal records database.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland said accessing the database may have been illegal and has called on the county to release all of its records alleged to be part of any dossiers. The ACLU has also called on the council to investigate.

George Phelps Jr., who was the county's first African-American law enforcement officer and is retired, also addressed the council, calling on Leopold to resign.

"How can a man run the government efficiently and prepare his defense at the same time?" asked Phelps.

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