WE BACK THE BLUE

We support our women and men in blue. We support the police.

Every black and brown community, every immigrant community, every low income, and high-income community wants the protection of the police department.

Instead, the cops are constantly met with hatred and challenge after challenge by their own government. We can’t attract enough recruits to the vacancies we have because the officers-to-be don’t trust the county government to stand up for them.

We support the cops, we back the blue, we need more good cops - not more regulations to bind their hands. Nationally and in our state and county there are politicians who feel they can garner a great deal of support by screaming racism and getting votes that way. Don’t buy into that, we say to all the elected Democrats in Rockville and Annapolis - do what’s best for the whole county, and stop disrespecting the police.

Do you have a story of coming here legally? We welcome you. Tell us at [email protected]

Republicans Show Up to Oppose Montgomery County Council Member Will Jawando’s Freedom to Leave Act

Will Jawando’s Freedom to Leave Act (Bill 2-24) is his latest attempt to defund the police. In 2023, he proposed the STEP (Safety and Traffic Equity in Policing) Act, which would have prevented the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) from making a large proportion of police stops. After the Maryland Attorney General said that State law would override the provisions of the STEP Act, Jawando narrowed the legislation to outlaw consent searches. (This exemption to the Fourth Amendment is valid when the consent is voluntary and not given under threat or compulsion.)

There were over thirty people testifying for Jawando’s bill, representing a wide variety of social justice organizations, including Young People for Progress, Jews United for Justice, the ACLU, and CASA. A number of individuals testified that they had been harassed by the police during traffic stops due to their skin color.

On the other side were ten or so individuals, including four local Republicans (Brigitta Mullican, Pam Plaisted, Amy Waychoff, and Esther Wells), the president of the MCPD police union, Lee Holland, and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney, John McCarthy.

Those testifying against the bill made the following points:

• Anti-police measures lead to low police morale; low morale leads to lower recruitment numbers; and a lower number of sworn officers on the streets leads to less police service, which in turn leads to more crime.
• While supporters of the bill claim that consent searches rarely lead to the confiscation of illegal guns and drugs, any time guns and drugs are taken off the streets is a victory in the battle against crime.
• The most important role of government is to keep its citizens safe.

Montgomery County has failed in that sacred duty. Bills such as 2-24 will only make the situation worse.

You can email the members of the County Council or call the council at 240-777-7900.