investigativevoice.com

OPINION

By Regina Holmes

Who knew?

We thought we were running a fairly straightforward story about what seemed to be the unwarranted suspension of three school police officers after a hit-and-run fender-bender at Baltimore City Public Schools headquarters on North Avenue. I won't go into all the details; you can read Stephen Janis' two stories. We had no idea that publishing the first story was like opening Pandora's Box.

A flurry of comments went up on our site from school police employees and former employees with allegations of all kinds of misdeeds going on in the department. (Comments on the story surpassed by far even our most popular story to date, Jenna Bush's Secret Service vehicle getting towed.) The accusations included: violence against students, violence among officers, sexual improprieties, cheating on tests, favoritism, revenge, and intimidation. 

Wow. We've written our share of stories about the Baltimore Police Department, and lord knows there are a lot of...shall we say...questionable goings on at Fayette Street.

But who knew there was so much discord brewing within the school police?

In retrospect, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised.

I've been watching HBO's "The Wire" starting from the first season; I'm in the middle of season three. Over and over again, the detectives continually refer to how screwed up Baltimore is. In the episode I saw Sunday night, a detective said something to the effect of: "One day I want to work for a real police department, just so I can see what it's like." Sometimes I forget how dysfunctional Baltimore is, but I am usually reminded soon enough. So I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that there was so much discontent among school police.

Then we heard that school police officials were investigating the comments on our site, trying to find out who had posted derogatory statements about the chief and other higher-ups. Even some of the posters had urged those who were airing the department's dirty laundry to cease and desist. I was shocked and angry that school police officials would try to use our site to punish employees who had just spoken their mind.

On Friday we posted a poll asking readers what they thought of the department's internal investigation. Not a single person had posted a comment by Monday night. Spooked, anyone?

Whatever happened to free speech? School employees should be able to air their views, provided they don't so on the clock and provided there are no personal attacks. But I sensed a lot of frustration among the posters. They obviously feel helpless and, now it's clear, intimidated and fearful of retribution.

I don't know how many of the accusations, mostly about the higher-ups, are truthful. And I certainly believe in the mantra of innocent until proven guilty.

But the mishandling of a minor fender bender and the subsequent suspension of three police officers is a glaring example of what's wrong with the city in general.

If Nero fiddled while Rome burned, then the school police in this incident have offered up an irrelevant act in the midst of crisis that might make the former Roman emperor who presided over the fall of a great city envious. Like Nero, city officials can't seem to staunch the stubbornly high homicide rate. Or even keep violence from erupting at the Inner Harbor where tourists flock. But they do seem to have a penchant for vindictiveness and petty infighting.

School violence, gangs, disruption in the classrooms seem to be of little interest to Chief Toby Goodwin. Instead, it seems he has displayed the skill set of a petty politician --  good at taking care of his friends, while leaving the agency he is charged with running in disarray.

Nothing is worse for morale on the job than favoristism and cronyism. Those who know hard work and exellence, at the end of the day, won't be rewarded feel like, why should they even bother? It's not what you know, but who you know. Too often that's the case in Baltimore, and yes, politics in general.

But maybe that's part of the the problem. We need to start holding our public servants more accountable and holding them to higher standards. What is "the norm" may not matter so much elsewhere. But Baltimore is burning. And we need leaders in this city who will continually do the right thing...even when no one else is looking. The taxpayers, and the children, deserve no less.

 Regina Holmes is the editor-in-chief.