FOP Lodge 35 JuvenileConduct

Juvenile Conduct

OPINION

A loud party call is hardly newsworthy. That is unless a police manager loses sensibility and overreacts. Such was the case following the April 25 call to the home of an assistant state's attorney where a group of teenagers, including the son of Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan, were celebrating.

Some of the teens had been drinking, apparently before going to the assistant S.A.'s home, and after it was confirmed that no alcohol was on the premises, the underage subjects were offered P.B.T. tests. Those who tested positive were sent home with their parents. Another routine call was cleared and should have been forgotten. Duncan's son was treated the same as any other similarly situated 18-year old -- no favors, no harsher treatment.

Kids drink. That's the way life is, notwithstanding laws, selective enforcement, and lectures from adults who, themselves, may have illegally had a drink or two even when the legal age was 18. We can debate the evils of teenage drinking, but that's not the issue.

The matter turned juvenile when Patty Walker, the Wheaton District commander decided that otherwise routine police matters are serious when the county executive's kid is involved. For whatever reason, she was offended that she wasn't aware of the situation and had no answers when a Washington Post reporter called. Rather than tell the reporter she was unaware of the incident and that alone indicates Duncan's son received no special treatment, Walker took to formal means to "document" the incident in Sergeant Dana Brown's file.

The documentation is nothing more than counseling for not informing Walker of the incident - not because the incident occurred, but because Duncan's son was involved. Sergeant Brown did nothing wrong, he and the responding officers did everything right. No procedures were violated, no rules broken, but Montgomery County gives Walker authority to abuse arbitrarily and she did not hesitate to exercise it. When pressed, Walker said it was "common sense" that she should have been notified. A ridiculous argument.

It is juvenile to formally document such petty matters. Walker's conduct discredits management and is a symptom of a much larger problem within this department. The use of documentation and resort to formal procedures to resolve fairly debatable concerns diminishes respect for management. If Walker had a genuine concern that effected more than her personal interests, she should have kept an open mind and rationally discussed them with Sergeant Brown.

Passing an examination and receiving a promotion to captain or chief does not make anyone a leader. Leadership is a personal quality. Unfortunately, the promotional process is specifically designed around off-the-shelf responses to questions, thereby screening out thinkers and leaders. This breeds followers for "leadership positions" and creates conflict between professional police officers and management.

The long term solution to this serious problem is complex, but a slight show of maturity would be a good start.