911 worker’s anti-police Facebook post causes controversy in Baltimore County

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Members of the Baltimore County police department have expressed anger over comments posted on the social media page of an employee of the county’s 911 center.

On the personal Facebook page of the employee, Kelli Murray, the post shared a tone of those upset over the recent grand jury decision not to indict officers in the police-involved deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner respectively. The decisions have led to protests across the country, including in Maryland, as many express frustration over alleged police brutality.

The post came to light prior to the shooting deaths of two New York police officers, who investigators said came at the hands of Ismaaiyl Brinsley. Baltimore County police said Brinsley shot his ex-girlfriend Shaneka Thompson in Owings Mills before he headed to New York to kill the officers and then himself.

“So, it’s okay to KILL black children and their lives do not matter because they may or may NOT have made a bad decision,” the post on Murray’s page read, a post which was shared by police-related Facebook pages across the country.

“And Police officers should be able to kill them and get away with it because they CHOOSE to accept a position that PAYS them to put their lives in danger…I would rather MY son to be approached by so-called THUGS, then for him to encounter any policeman…

“This in no way discredits what SOME police officers do. They CHOSE a career that happens to put their lives in danger, (sic) so does Bge workers, so do construction workers, so does firefighters. I can go on & on…”

Pamela Wood, The Baltimore Sun:

Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz urged people to discuss police issues in a “positive and productive manner” on Monday after a county 911 call-taker posted what the county considered a controversial statement on Facebook.

Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 4, which represents the county’s police officers, issued a statement Monday condemning the employee’s comments.

Without referencing the content of the comments specificially, the FOP wrote that, “This employee should not be allowed to continue in a position where she could jeopardize the safety of our police officers with her clear and now public views on law enforcement.”

Full Statement from Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz:

I have become aware of a statement directed toward police officers that was posted on a Baltimore County employee’s private Facebook account last week before the tragic murders of two NYC police officers.

I have the utmost respect for the members of the Baltimore County Police Department and for police officers across the nation. These men and women risk their lives each and every day to protect us all. I have witnessed firsthand the heartfelt grief that our County residents have felt when a police officer was killed in the line of duty. We may not say it too often, but we can never say it enough: We are indebted to our police officers for their faithful and unselfish service.

At the same time, individuals are constitutionally protected by the right to free speech, and that protection does not end when someone chooses to become a County employee. In these very emotional times, I hope that we all strive to discuss very complex issues in a positive and productive manner. — County Executive Kevin Kamenetz

Full Statement from FOP Lodge #4:

The FOP has received several e-mails and phone calls in reference to a Facebook post by a county employee who works in the communications center. While we acknowledge this person’s 1^st Amendment rights, we must proclaim that under no circumstances do we, as an organization, think this expression is appropriate for this person’s current job in communications.

In the law enforcement community, dispatchers serve as a lifeline to get us accurate information and backup when we call for them. We rely on this hoping they act promptly and without prejudices that will put our lives in jeopardy. In Baltimore County, dispatchers do an excellent job of accomplishing this most difficult and crucial task.

This employee should not be allowed to continue in a position where she could jeopardize the safety of our police officers with her clear and now public views on law enforcement.

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