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March 17, 2003, 06:36 AM
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=31545
Cops: Chief Moose withheld
look-out on sniper suspects
Delayed release of descriptions focus
of Maryland police union negotiations
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Posted: March 15, 2003
3:27 p.m. Eastern
By Paul Sperry
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose knew the descriptions of the Beltway snipers at least one day before releasing the information to his own patrol units, police union officials charge. They say the delay not only jeopardized the lives of citizens, but also the safety of police officers.
And in an unprecedented move, union officials in their latest contract negotiations insisted that Moose's office agree to "promptly notify officers of all vehicles, suspects and conditions, of which it becomes aware, that may jeopardize officer safety."
The union settled for less-specific language proposed by headquarters in the final contract, which still obligates Moose to ensure ''the timely release of appropriate information to preserve officer safety.''
Walter Bader, president of the Montgomery County Fraternal Order of Police, testified last month during contract talks that the issue of Moose withholding information from street officers "became a concern during the sniper incident." WorldNetDaily has obtained a transcript of his Feb. 3 testimony.
Noting that alleged Beltway snipers John Allen Mohammed and Lee Boyd Malvo were armed and extremely dangerous and posed a "greater than normal threat of death" to officers, Bader complained that Moose should have put out information on the suspects, including their names, race and vehicle description, in multiple radio broadcasts as soon as he learned the information.
But a lawyer for the police union suggested the chief, who has been widely praised for his handling of the case, delayed releasing the information by at least a day.
What's more, the suspect look-out, when finally released, was posted on the department's "web board," which cannot be accessed from patrol cars. Moose declined to notify uniformed patrol officers about Mohammed and Malvo through radio channels or through their cruiser computers, called mobile data terminals, or MDTs.
Assistant Montgomery County Police Chief John King told the union lawyer he did not know when headquarters learned that Mohammed was a suspect. "I am unsure," he testified in a Jan. 30 arbitration hearing, according to a transcript obtained by WorldNetDaily.
King also claimed not to know when the warrant for the sniper suspects' arrest was put together or when it was shared with Montgomery County headquarters here, according to the transcript.
Moose responded to the union charges in a bulletin posted Thursday on the Montgomery County Police Department website.
He says he learned of no "confirmed suspects" by the close of the day on Oct. 22. That morning, bus driver Conrad Johnson was fatally wounded by the snipers in Aspen Hill, Md.
Mohammed and Malvo were finally arrested early in the morning on Oct. 24 after allegedly shooting 13 people in the capital area over three weeks.
Related column:
Race-conscious Moose may have cost lives
Cops: Chief Moose withheld
look-out on sniper suspects
Delayed release of descriptions focus
of Maryland police union negotiations
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: March 15, 2003
3:27 p.m. Eastern
By Paul Sperry
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose knew the descriptions of the Beltway snipers at least one day before releasing the information to his own patrol units, police union officials charge. They say the delay not only jeopardized the lives of citizens, but also the safety of police officers.
And in an unprecedented move, union officials in their latest contract negotiations insisted that Moose's office agree to "promptly notify officers of all vehicles, suspects and conditions, of which it becomes aware, that may jeopardize officer safety."
The union settled for less-specific language proposed by headquarters in the final contract, which still obligates Moose to ensure ''the timely release of appropriate information to preserve officer safety.''
Walter Bader, president of the Montgomery County Fraternal Order of Police, testified last month during contract talks that the issue of Moose withholding information from street officers "became a concern during the sniper incident." WorldNetDaily has obtained a transcript of his Feb. 3 testimony.
Noting that alleged Beltway snipers John Allen Mohammed and Lee Boyd Malvo were armed and extremely dangerous and posed a "greater than normal threat of death" to officers, Bader complained that Moose should have put out information on the suspects, including their names, race and vehicle description, in multiple radio broadcasts as soon as he learned the information.
But a lawyer for the police union suggested the chief, who has been widely praised for his handling of the case, delayed releasing the information by at least a day.
What's more, the suspect look-out, when finally released, was posted on the department's "web board," which cannot be accessed from patrol cars. Moose declined to notify uniformed patrol officers about Mohammed and Malvo through radio channels or through their cruiser computers, called mobile data terminals, or MDTs.
Assistant Montgomery County Police Chief John King told the union lawyer he did not know when headquarters learned that Mohammed was a suspect. "I am unsure," he testified in a Jan. 30 arbitration hearing, according to a transcript obtained by WorldNetDaily.
King also claimed not to know when the warrant for the sniper suspects' arrest was put together or when it was shared with Montgomery County headquarters here, according to the transcript.
Moose responded to the union charges in a bulletin posted Thursday on the Montgomery County Police Department website.
He says he learned of no "confirmed suspects" by the close of the day on Oct. 22. That morning, bus driver Conrad Johnson was fatally wounded by the snipers in Aspen Hill, Md.
Mohammed and Malvo were finally arrested early in the morning on Oct. 24 after allegedly shooting 13 people in the capital area over three weeks.
Related column:
Race-conscious Moose may have cost lives