BERLIN — While the protests and riots in Baltimore had waned somewhat by mid-week, a handful of local law enforcement agencies had manpower and resources front and center during the initial peak of the civil unrest on Monday and into Tuesday.
Around 9:30 p.m. on Monday, the night the rioting and looting peaked in downtown Baltimore, the Berlin Police Department sent the agency’s SWAT team to assist with the State of Emergency. Also on Monday night, the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office sent manpower and its armored vehicle to assist in the ongoing rioting, looting and burning of businesses and buildings. In addition, Salisbury City Council President Jake Day was also in Baltimore as a reservist with the National Guard along with others from Salisbury.
For the Berlin Police Department, sending the agency’s SWAT team was facilitated through a request from the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) through the Worcester County Office of Emergency Services. Incidentally, former Ocean City Emergency Services Director Clay Stamp is the recently appointed Director of MEMA and stood on the podium with Gov. Larry Hogan in Baltimore late Monday evening at the height of the protests and riots.
Berlin Police Chief Arnold Downing said this week the call came in during the Town Council’s regular meeting on Monday night at around 7:30 p.m. Downing ran downstairs from the council chambers to the police headquarters and began to set in motion a plan to send some relief to Baltimore. The MEMA request filtered through the county’s Office of Emergency Services called for a contingency from the county of 15-20 officers including riot police, armored vehicles and prisoner transport vehicles.
Downing said he consulted with allied law enforcement agencies and after some discussion offered to send the Berlin Police Department’s SWAT unit. He said this week he contacted the command authorities and Baltimore and offered to send the SWAT team.
“I told them this is the resource we have available and do you need it,” he said. “They said, ‘We are getting killed up here. Whatever you can send, send it now.’ When I told them what we could send, they said ‘SWAT team? Hell yeah.’”
Downing said when he rallied his SWAT team and asked them if they were ready, willing and able to go and provide assistance, each and every one answered in the affirmative.
“Once the cry for help came in, we knew right then and there we needed to send help now,” he said. “We thought about the decision and it wasn’t something done in haste. It was my decision after consulting with our allied agencies and it was an easy decision. With everything going on that night, I said, ‘if not now, then when.’”
Downing said the SWAT team was assembled and ready to go by about 9:30 p.m. and immediately headed to Baltimore, arriving in the city by around midnight. The team was assigned by Baltimore Police Command to provide security for civil disorder officers who were holding established police lines. They operated in the area of North and Philadelphia Avenues, the area where the CVS pharmacy had been burned earlier in the day and an area which became a ground zero of sorts during protests, riots and looting throughout the week.
The Berlin team relieved other SWAT units that had responded from other surrounding jurisdictions and had been operating in that area since early Monday morning. Downing characterized the Berlin SWAT team’s role as an “overwatch,” meaning the team essentially provided security to the line of officers in riot gear on the front lines.
Downing said he and his staff planned for the SWAT team to be in Baltimore for 36 hours. Some on the SWAT team had already worked a shift in Berlin that day and would end up working practically around the clock. Ultimately, the Berlin team spent about 14 hours in Baltimore and upon completion of their assignment returned to Berlin safely around 2 p.m. Tuesday.
While the SWAT team has returned, the Berlin Police Department is maintaining communication with the Office of Emergency Management for possible redeployment to Baltimore as the situation continues to unfold. Downing said the decision to send resources to Baltimore was an easy one under the circumstances.
“If we were in the exact same situation, we would get help from the Maryland State Police, Ocean City, Wicomico, Salisbury, Pocomoke and on and on,” he said. “We’re blessed to have great neighbors and Baltimore is basically our neighbor. In addition, we were supporting the other agencies on the shore that sent manpower and resources. We’ll never be a Baltimore simply based on the volume, but you never know when a situation like this could occur and we would be asking for help.”
Downing said by Thursday he had already received reimbursement forms from MEMA, but the immediate reimbursement for the town was low on the priority list. He said the town leadership was not immediately concerned with getting reimbursed for the use of the SWAT team and would worry about that later after Baltimore got the resources it needs to recover.
Meanwhile, the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office also sent manpower and its armored Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle to Baltimore on Monday night at the request of MEMA and also assumed an important position during the rioting and looting. Chief Deputy Gary Baker said on Tuesday the request came around 8 p.m. and the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office quickly mobilized its manpower and MRAP vehicle for the trip to Baltimore.
“We got an email from MEMA requesting any kind of law enforcement assistance we could provide,” he said. “We sent a contingent along with our MRAP and by 2:30 a.m. on Monday, they had been positioned in front of City Hall in Baltimore and across from police headquarters.”
By mid-week, the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office contingent and its armored vehicle were still in Baltimore, uncertain of when they might return although the situation appeared to have eased some.
“We don’t really have a duration,” said Baker on Tuesday. “It’s really a fluid situation, and we’ll have to decide at some point to keep our people up there or bring them back. Last night, they were looking for an immediate response until the National Guard got their people and resources in place.”
Baker said sending the contingent from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office to Baltimore did not compromise safety locally and the decision was a fairly easy one considering the situation. However, as the week wore on, a decision would be made about how long to keep the crew up there.
“It’s a little difficult,” he said. “We don’t want to leave this area vulnerable. Our first priority is Wicomico County. At the same time, I believe every Maryland State Police barrack in the state has sent resources and because we might be called upon to handle some of their calls for service, we couldn’t send too many.”
Thus far, Ocean City has not been called upon to send manpower or resources to Baltimore, but is prepared to if the request comes or the situation does not improve.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the citizens of Baltimore and all of the law enforcement agencies and emergency responders that have been working to restore peace for the city of Baltimore,” said OCPD spokesperson Lindsay Richard on Tuesday. “We are closely monitoring the events and continue to be in contact with MEMA regarding their efforts to coordinate public safety resources. Although no resources from the town of Ocean City have been requested in Baltimore, we are prepared to support the ongoing efforts in the area.”
Meanwhile, the ongoing situation in Baltimore affected the Lower Shore in other ways. For example, Wicomico County Public Schools announced on Tuesday planned field trips for students to Baltimore had been postponed or moved to different areas. The West Salisbury Elementary trip to the Baltimore Zoo on Wednesday was moved to the National Zoo and the Mardela Middle and High School planned trip to the Baltimore Zoo on Friday was cancelled.
“Due to the troubling events in Baltimore City, and out of concern for the safety of our students, chaperones and staff, no field trips from Wicomico County Public Schools will go to Baltimore this week,” the statement reads. “The school system will evaluate the situation around May 3 for any field trips scheduled for next week.”