NEWS
By Justin Fenton and Luke Broadwater, The Baltimore Sun | October 22, 2012
City and state legislators say they will push for greater regulation of longstanding but little-known laws that allow security guards to be granted law enforcement powers to arrest and search citizens. "If special police make sense, if they're necessary, and if they really do provide enhanced public safety, then at a minimum there needs to be oversight, accountability, training, and qualifications that are set by the state," Sen. Brian Frosh, who chairs the Judicial Proceedings Committee, said Monday.
NEWS
By Justin Fenton, The Baltimore Sun | October 20, 2012
The two men wore body armor with "POLICE" written across the chest and spilled out of their unmarked car, weapons drawn, ordering Christopher Dukes and his passenger out of their vehicle at a South Baltimore gas station parking lot. When Dukes pulled off, they embarked on a high-speed chase down Interstate 295 until catching up and placing the pair under arrest, charging documents show. Then it was time for the real police to take over. The men in the body armor were not Baltimore police officers or federal agents, but instead a little-known classification of security guards known as "special police," who are commissioned by the city or state to arrest and detain citizens - but only on specific properties.
NEWS
By Justin Fenton, The Baltimore Sun | August 14, 2012
More than 20 Cherry Hill residents have filed a $25 million lawsuit against a Cleveland-based security company, claiming the company's officers routinely overstep their authority and abuse citizens' rights. "They act like cowboy-wannabe cops," William H. "Billy" Murphy Jr., the residents' attorney, said at a news conference Tuesday at a community church. "We're tired of it, and we're going to put them in their place. " The suit names three officers employed by Tenable Protective Services, two of whom have been appointed as "special police officers," a little-known classification for security guards in Maryland that grants them limited police powers within specific areas.
EXPLORE
Staff Reports | June 6, 2012
Officers representing the police agencies throughout Carroll County hit the streets of Sykesville, Taneytown, Manchester, Westminster and Mount Airy on Wednesday, taking part in the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run Relay for Special Olympics Maryland. The officers escorted the Special Olympics Flame of Hope - and a crew of hearty atheletes - in preparation for the opening of the 42nd anniversary Summer Games at Towson University, June 8-10. This year marks the 27th anniversary of the Maryland Torch Run, a movement that began in 1986 with a handful of officers raising $5,000.
NEWS
By Justin Fenton and Justin Fenton,justin.fenton@baltsun.com | October 14, 2008
In Baltimore's most stubbornly violent districts, police have taken a decidedly different approach this year: staying put. As the city continues to march toward a historic year-to-year drop in homicides, two of the biggest success stories are coming from the Eastern and Western districts, which have long been among the city's bloodiest. Police leaders say a major factor is the consistent presence of an enforcement team focused on developing intelligence on violent criminals who frequent those areas.
NEWS
By LOUISE ROUG and LOUISE ROUG,LOS ANGELES TIMES | December 30, 2005
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- U.S. officials announced plans yesterday to rein in Iraqi special police forces, increasing the number of troops assigned to work with them and requiring permission for Iraqi raids in Baghdad, after a series of abuse scandals that have inflamed sectarian tensions. The decision to impose more day-to-day oversight suggests a recognition within the U.S. military that the heavy-handed tactics of some Iraqi units, which are to increasingly take on the role of fighting insurgents, have aggravated sectarian tensions that help fuel the insurgency.