Officer Fearful of Retaliation After Reporting Misidentified Suspect’s Use-of-Force Violation
A police officer in Prince George’s County, Maryland, is expressing concerns for his safety after reporting a fellow officer for a use-of-force violation against a misidentified suspect. Officer Michael Brown took action after witnessing his colleague, Cpl. Darryl Wormuth, strike a 17-year-old suspect named Kayvon Hines in the throat during an arrest in October 2020. However, it was later discovered that Hines was not the intended suspect.
Officer Brown, in an interview with NBC4 Washington, revealed that he was alarmed by the incident since the department had not trained its officers to use neck restraints. With the help of his partner, Officer Thomas Lester, Brown reported the incident and as a result, Wormuth was charged with misconduct in office and second-degree assault.
Initially, Wormuth was sentenced to 45 days in jail and had his police powers suspended. However, new evidence emerged during the investigation, revealing a series of racist exchanges on Wormuth’s phone with other officers within the department. One of these exchanges showed Wormuth referring to African-Americans as f*cking animals and derogatory terms for Black police officers. This revelation led to a temporary halt in Wormuth’s sentence.
During the trial, Officer Brown was disheartened by the support shown to Wormuth by many of his fellow officers, who happened to be mostly white. He openly expressed his disappointment in how he felt that his department had done little to protect him from his co-workers during the investigation. Brown and the officers who stood with him have since been labeled as snitches and have faced derogatory treatment within the department.
Brown also revealed that he was kept in the dark throughout most of the investigation, unaware of the full contents of the texts and the individuals responsible for them. He expressed concern over his safety, stating that it didn’t seem like a priority for the department.
This incident is not an isolated case of misconduct by Prince George’s County police officers. In January 2020, Cpl. Micheal Owen fatally shot and killed a handcuffed Black man named William Green. The department was later ordered to pay $20 million in settlement money to Green’s family. Additionally, the department has faced accusations of hiring racist officers and violating racial discrimination laws.
The protests against police brutality that took place in the county during the summer of 2020 further highlighted these issues. The former police chief, Hank Stawinski, stepped down amid the unrest, and a lawsuit was filed against the department in 2018 for racial discrimination.
The case involving the misidentified suspect and the subsequent concerns raised by Officer Brown bring attention to the need for accountability, transparency, and a commitment to addressing racial biases within law enforcement. The safety and protection of officers who report misconduct should also be a significant focus for police departments. As the investigation continues, it remains crucial to ensure that justice is served and necessary reforms take place to maintain trust and restore faith in the police force.
