I was deeply thankful that Police Commissioner Michael Harrison acted so promptly when one of his officers displayed inappropriate and uncontrolled behavior in response to quiet and reasonable comments from a passer-by (“Northwest Baltimore man at the center of the latest case of police misconduct is arrested again,” June 11). Now an officer involved in an earlier case has been convicted of assault and official misconduct. It looks like a promising trend.
I have immense respect and appreciation for the many police officers who try to do their jobs well under sometimes trying and sometimes dangerous conditions and especially for those who go beyond that and take time to build relationships with the communities in which they work, like Officer Evan Anderson who recently organized the Historic Pennsylvania Avenue Parade. These people are magnificent and their value to the city beyond words.
By contrast, those who appear to regard a badge as a license to bully inspire neither respect nor trust. Nobody is likely to turn to them in trouble or slip them a tip about a problem that could be solved. If they cannot rethink their relationship to the community, the sooner they leave the force the better. The higher the proportion of good cops in the Baltimore police, the better off we'll be.
Katharine W. Rylaarsdam, Baltimore