On Saturday, August 5, 2017 at approximately 4:15 p.m., Corporal Wolford, ID #1740, of the Anne Arundel County Police Department responded to a customer dispute call in the 8200 block of Sebring Court in Severn. While the officer was discussing the matter with one of the involved parties, his interactions were being video recorded by another person at the scene. The video shows the officer, upon realizing he was being video recorded, approach the person taking the video in an apparent attempt to grab the recording device from the person.
It is the policy of the Anne Arundel County Police Department that members of the general public have a First Amendment right to video record, photograph, and/or audio record officers while they are conducting official business in any public space, unless such recordings interfere with police activity.
The actions of this officer are a detriment to the relationships we have fostered within our community and do not reflect our commitment to providing courteous service to all citizens.
“The Anne Arundel County Police are 100% committed to providing courteous service and protecting the rights of the citizens we serve. When we see these standards not being met, we will deal with violations of our policies forthrightly and with integrity. We are doing so in this case.” – Chief Timothy Altomare.
Corporal Wolford’s police powers have been suspended pending an investigation by the Internal Affairs Unit.
