A former Prince George's County police officer has filed a $6.1 million suit charging two Anne Arundel County police officers with using excessive force and racial slurs against him when they arrested him at a Glen Burnie store last year.
The suit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, names former Anne Arundel Police Chief Robert Russell, Officer William Daywalt Jr. and Sgt. J. M. Campbell.
James B. Harrison claims that the officers violated his civil rights by falsely arresting and imprisoning him. The suit also alleges the incident contributed to Mr. Harrison's being fired this year.
Officer Randy Bell, a county Police Department spokesman, said he could not comment on the case. Gail Watson, the department's attorney, could not be reached for comment.
According to the suit, Mr. Harrison and a clerk at the Leedmark store on Chesapeake Center Drive argued on Dec. 12, 1993, about his returning a hair dryer. The clerk called a manager and Officer Daywalt, who was off-duty, for help.
The suit alleges that Officer Daywalt refused to help Mr. Harrison get the information he needed to return the hair dryer. Mr. Harrison asked to see Officer Daywalt's supervisor, then called the police, according to the suit. A short time later, Sergeant Campbell arrived on the scene.
Mr. Harrison, who is black, claims in the suit that Sergeant Campbell, who is white, was hostile and used racial slurs. Mr. Harrison identified himself as a police officer and showed his badge, but Sergeant Campbell grabbed the badge out of his hand, the suit claims.
Sergeant Campbell then handcuffed Mr. Harrison, put him into a patrol car and charged him with disorderly conduct. Mr. Harrison was acquitted of that charge in District Court on May 23, 1994.
James. A. Mogey, Mr. Harrison's lawyer, said the suit "speaks for itself."
The suit is the second federal suit Mr. Harrison has filed against police officers. In May, he and three other Prince George's County officers filed a $5 million suit against Parris N. Glendening, then the Prince George's county executive, and police officials claiming they were harassed after testifying against a supervisor they said had made a racist remark.
In March 1992, a lieutenant made racially bigoted remarks during roll call, according to court records. Asked about the race of some armed suspects, the lieutenant responded: "Black, aren't they always?"
The department's internal investigations division recommended disciplinary action against the lieutenant, but a police trial board found him not guilty.
In their suit against Prince George's County officials, Mr. Harrison and the three officers said their superiors singled them out for disciplinary action because of their testimony against the lieutenant. Seventy complaints were filed against them, Mr. Mogey said yesterday.
Mr. Harrison was fired from the department July 1.