Joseph S. Johnson was sworn in yesterday as Annapolis' police chief, the first black to hold that post in the city's history.
The change in command marks what many local officials hope will be a new era at the police department, which has grappled with low morale and rising racial tensions for nearly a decade.
In a speech before an audience of uniformed officers, city political leaders and family members, Chief Johnson said his tenure would mark a new spirit of cooperation and fairness in the agency.
"Many of you may have read in the newspapers and concluded that we had a terrible police department down here," he said, alluding to the charges of racism and low morale. "But [officers] are on notice that unacceptable behavior will not be tolerated in this police department."
A decade ago, to settle a discrimination suit filed by the Black Officers Association (BOA), the city entered into an agreement with the federal government to increase the number of minorities on the force.
At the time, 10 of 95 officers were black. Today, there are more than 30 minority members on the 120-officer force.
Mayor Alfred A. Hopkins said his appointment of Chief Johnson, 51, illustrates how far the city has come.
"The mere fact that the department is now headed up by a native son who happens to be black is evidence enough," Mr. Hopkins said. "It's hard to believe how many years it took for the city to accept an Afro-American as a chief of police."
Chief Johnson has been acting head of the department since the former chief, Harold M. Robbins Jr., resigned abruptly eight months ago.
The resignation came after the union representing the department's 120 sworn officers voted no confidence in Chief Robbins and Mr. Hopkins encouraged him to leave.
13 officers sued
In an effort to increase minority recruitment and promotion, Chief Robbins created five corporal positions and filled them with black and female police officers, passing over 13 current and former police officers who were higher on eligibility lists than were some or all of those promoted.
Those 13 subsequently sued.
When Chief Johnson became acting chief, he was quick to promote black and white officers.
A promotion list issued in October included two black officers -- a man and a woman -- and eight white officers. Chief Johnson, who chose from 14 candidates, passed over four white male officers.
Praise from aldermen
Several aldermen praised Chief Johnson's accomplishments.
"I'm particularly pleased with his emphasis on diversity and competency," said Ward 5 Alderman Carl O. Snowden.
"People are being assigned duties based on their abilities. That's very well received."
"My first observations of our police department was that it was afflicted with poor morale, cliques, it was racially polarized, and there was a pervasive lack of trust that permeated the entire department," said Ward 7 Alderman M. Theresa DeGraff, chairwoman of the Public Safety Committee.
'Pleasure to come home'
Chief Johnson grew up in Annapolis and is a veteran of the Washington and Baltimore police departments. Annapolis is where he wants to be now, he said, adding that he loves running into old high school friends at the barbershop and walking the streets where he grew up.
"It's always a pleasure to come home," he said.
:. "I'm here as long as you'll have me here."