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.
Chief Charles
Moose |
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
Paul Sperry is Washington
bureau chief for WorldNetDaily.
