State's Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy said Thursday she has called off her request for an independent investigation into whether Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III was politicking while on duty.
Her comments came a day after it was reported that Bealefeld had taken down campaign signs for Jessamy's challenger, Gregg Bernstein, that he had placed in the front yard of his Southwest Baltimore home. Bealefeld said in a statement Wednesday that the issue had become a distraction.
That was good enough for Jessamy, who spoke to television reporters after an appearance on WYPR-FM.
"Mr. Bealefeld has said he will engage in no future political activity. I will take him at his word and move forward," said Jessamy
A spokeswoman for Jessamy's re-election campaign did not return phone calls Thursday.
Jessamy had called a news conference Tuesday to denounce Bealefeld's actions and said an independent investigation was warranted to determine whether Bealefeld had been truthful about his encounter with a Jessamy supporter last month.
"If it was only about the signs, we would not be here," she said at the news conference. "But this issue of truth, credibility and veracity, about the integrity of the voting process, these are issues that must not be swept under the rug."
She gave him a deadline of 48 hours to accept the independent investigation; he suggested she file a complaint.
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