Ask these people for the answer.
http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/mdmanual/23dsp/html/dspr.html
DEPARTMENT OF STATE POLICE
CHIEF OF STAFF
Maj. William M. Pallozzi, Chief of Staff (410) 653-4567
e-mail: bpallozzi@mdsp.org
TRAFFIC OPERATIONS
Lt. Mark J. Carter, Commander (410) 799-4548
AUTOMOTIVE SAFETY ENFORCEMENT DIVISION
Capt. Jeffrey R. Gahler, Commander (410) 424-3760
e-mail: jgahler@mdsp.org
STRATEGIC ANALYSIS SECTION
Det. Sgt. Linda Stascavage, Commander (410) 290-0780
e-mail: cid@mdsp.org
© Copyright May 02, 2005 Maryland State Archives
Most of what i encounter in the DC area from the police departments has only to do with revenue gathering or "us verses them" mindset in the police department.
I do feeding on the streets of Washington, DC, usually in evening and mostly in vicinity of public housing. Right down from the capitol area on Penn.Ave SE a couple years ago i was doing some feeding when i observed the following.
There were several businesses that had hired a homeless man to clean the light snow that was coming down off of their sidewalk. I knew this man, as i had fed him soup and sandwiches on many occasions. He lived in abandoned buildings in the vicinity. (This are is very near 8th street SE and I street, the headquarters of the USMC.
As i watched him clean the sidewalk a pair of "DC's finest" came over and began to question the man about where he got his shovel to move the snow. He replied that he had gotten it from one of the storeowners, and that he would be allowed to keep it and to make money with it if he kept the sidewalk clean of snow and ice.
The police immediately grew suspicious and started questioning him and harrassing him telling him that they though he had stolen it from one of the houses nearby. He kept pleading with them to ask the people that gave it to him, but they chose instead to make him quit what he was doing and they impounded the shovel.
I was kind of enraged and began to ask the police what they were up to. They told me to just shut up and mind my own business. I explained to them that this man was actually now gainfully employed and somewhat sober, doing a job that the city should have been doing, and they had no business stopping him. I told them that he would only end up begging again if they drove him away from there. They told me that it was none of my business and that i should shut up.
I replied to them, We are two blocks from Arthur Caper Housing project. Why don't you guys go over there and arrest some of the guys out on the streets selling crack, and leave this hopeless guy alone. I told them that they were bullies and cowards for their refusal to attack real crime and decision to harrass this poor guy who was struggling to make a little change so that he could crawl back into his abandoned building with a little cheap wine.
It is incidents like this that have proven to me that for the most part police will do anything that they want, whenever they want, and there is little accountablility. We need to be "watching the watchers." Plato's Republic is a nightmare of "guardianship" over the rights of the rest of us. I think most police agencies are happy to create a police state right around our heads if we let them.
We need to do more than resist. We need to become activists and make them toe the line.