In Baltimore City

Redd is elected president of society for black officers

Officer Jeffrey D. Redd, a 14-year veteran of the Baltimore Police Department, was elected president of an advocacy organization for black police officers late Thursday.

Redd will take office next month and will head the Vanguard Justice Society for a two-year term.

The election drew criticism from Vanguard members because the group's leadership excluded candidates for several positions, including the presidency, from the ballot.

Those who were excluded said yesterday that they were taking legal action to overturn the results. Sgt. Richard J. Hite Jr., Vanguard's current president, declined to comment yesterday, citing the prospect of pending litigation.

Redd could not be reached to comment.

In Anne Arundel

Board decides Mayo pupils will go to Annapolis Middle

ANNAPOLIS -- The Anne Arundel County school board decided yesterday to house 300 Mayo Elementary School pupils temporarily at Annapolis Middle School while a new school is built for them, turning down an appeal from parents who have fought the move for more than two years.

Mayo Elementary will be razed and a new school built on the site. The board rejected numerous alternatives proposed by the Mayo parents and upheld the superintendent's plan to send the children to Annapolis for two years, starting as early as January. At one-third capacity, Annapolis Middle was the best option for relocation, the board said.

Mayo parents said their children would be on the bus for up to an hour each way, reducing time for extracurricular activities and sports. They have 30 days to decide if they will appeal to the State Board of Education.

Mayo Elementary School is south of Annapolis, on a peninsula bordered by the South and Rhode rivers.

The school was built in 1936 and is among the oldest in the county. The new school is projected to cost $14.3 million and have room for 414 children.