Mystery as Maryland town suspends its ENTIRE police force – as ‘blindsided’ residents demand to know why

Residents of a small Maryland town are demanding “the truth” after all their police officers were ordered to step aside pending an investigation by the state’s attorney’s office.

Ridgely residents learned in a terse, two-line announcement on the city’s website that the three commissioners “have effectively (sic) immediately suspended the entire Ridgely Police Department.”

The commissioners are accused of treating the 1,600 citizens like children and making crime victims rely on officers from the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office to reach them in time.

“What’s very concerning is that they didn’t communicate with us in an honest and open manner,” said Laura Cline, a longtime resident of the city.

‘Treat us with respect. We are adults; thinking, rational adults who deserve the truth.”

Police in the town of 1,600 now fall under the broader Caroline County Sheriff’s Office

The sleepy town just two miles from the Delaware border is best known for its annual winter festival, which draws thousands of visitors.

Only four murders have been recorded in the entire province since 2000 and the drastic measure has left residents baffled as to what their known officers may have done wrong.

“It’s not right,” said Gennie Woo, who has owned a downtown business for more than 40 years. ‘Everyone is skeptical about what happened. We just want to know how and why.’

But the city has not escaped the controversies that have engulfed police departments across the country in recent years, and the city was forced to pay its share of a $5 million settlement to Anton Black’s family.

who died in police custody in 2018.

The 19-year-old died while being restrained by police outside his home in neighboring Greensboro, including Ridgely’s then-Police Chief Gary Manos, who intervened after noticing the incident while he was off duty.

Maryland lawmakers passed a package of police accountability measures in 2021, including a bill in Black’s memory to expand public access to police disciplinary records amid questions about past misconduct allegations against an officer who was involved in his death.

An officer hired last year in Ridgely had faced misconduct allegations in Delaware before joining the department, court records show.

This official resigned in January. Another Ridgely officer was hired despite an arrest record in Delaware.

The city’s current chief, Jeff Eckrich, spent most of his career with the Prince George’s County Police Department in suburban D.C., including 12 years as a homicide detective, before joining the department in Ridgely.

The Attorney General’s Office, which investigates the suspended officers, typically prosecutes cases of public misconduct, election fraud and ethics violations.

“The commissioners are currently working on a temporary agreement with the Caroline County Sheriff’s Department to ensure uninterrupted public safety services for the residents of the Town of Ridgely,” the statement on the town’s website concludes.

The city is best known for its annual winter festival that attracts thousands of visitors

Violent crime in the city peaked in 2010 with 41 recorded incidents

The town near the Delaware border will now be policed ​​by officers from broader Caroline County, which has recorded just four homicides since 2000.

Commissioners have refused to answer questions from the public, leaving residents perplexed and angry.

Holly Justice, owner of a spa across the street from police headquarters, said she said hello to them often.

“We were blindsided,” she added.

“It makes you question the integrity of people who are supposed to protect and serve.

‘Like I knew those guys. It just makes you wonder.”

Dailymail.com has reached out to the city commissioners.