Bealefeld Plays Partisan Politics
For release on Friday, August 06, 2010
The campaign of State’s Attorney Patricia Jessamy is disappointed by Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld’s blatant insertion of himself into partisan politics. The display on the Commissioner’s lawn of a political sign supporting Mrs. Jessamy’s opponent is unprecedented and inappropriate.
Unfortunately, this is just the latest of a series of inappropriate partisan actions and statements by Mr. Bealefeld. The Jessamy campaign has received reports of Commissioner Bealefeld, in uniform, actively attempting to recruit support for the Bernstein campaign.
Baltimore City has a long tradition of its police commissioners remaining neutral in political elections. Neutrality is required in light of the critical role that police officers play in supervising and securing the voting process. Overt actions by a police commissioner to influence the outcome of an election can only lead to divisiveness and distrust in the community.
State’s Attorney Jessamy will continue to work in partnership with the Police Department and all other law enforcement agencies in their shared efforts to continue to reduce crime. Given the challenges facing Baltimore City, it is Mrs. Jessamy’s hope that Commissioner Bealefeld will refocus his efforts on apprehending the perpetrators of crimes and assembling evidence to be presented in court and that he will leave the politics to others.
