Cop Tries To Block Filming, Suspended From County Force

MILLERSVILLE, MD — An Anne Arundel County Police officer who tried to stop a bystander from filming him as he sorted out a dispute has been suspended by the department. Police officials said that the public has every right to record officers on police business in public spaces. (See the video below.)

The incident began shortly after 4 p.m. Saturday when Corporal Scott Wolford responded to a customer dispute with a delivery worker in the 8200 block of Sebring Court in Severn. While Wolford talked with one of the parties, another delivery worker at the scene recorded the interaction. Video showed Wolford tried unsuccessfully to grab the person's phone once he realized he was being video recorded.

On the video Wolford asks the worker, "Are you recording me? That's really nice."

When the employee says, "I am my right to do that," for his company, the videographer says in accented English as Wolford lunges for the phone. At that point the worker runs aways from the officer, who gets into his patrol car as the video ends.

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A police department statement said, "The actions of this officer are a detriment to the relationships we have fostered within our community and do not reflect our commitment to providing courteous service to all citizens."

Wolford's police powers have been suspended while the Internal Affairs Unit investigates the encounter; he is on administrative duty.

"The Anne Arundel County Police are 100 percent committed to providing courteous service and protecting the rights of the citizens we serve. When we see these standards not being met, we will deal with violations of our policies forthrightly and with integrity. We are doing so in this case," Police Chief Timothy Altomare said.

On the police department's Facebook page, comments were divided over whether Wolford crossed a line, if members of the public try to provoke officers, and whether the department should have released Wolford's name.

"Transparency helps build more positive relationships across all communities. Kudos to AACPD for making an effort to hold the community and their own accountable," wrote Montrese Garner-Sampson.

Commenter Meagan Fatland disagreed, arguing that people who record police do not have good intentions. "It should be illegal to video/record police while they are "on a call" meaning they were dispatched to a place to handle a situation or on a traffic stop!!!!"

No charges were filed, either by the homeowner or the delivery workers the customer had the dispute with, said Public Information Officer Marc Limansky.

The video was posted publicly on Facebook, and a link sent to a police officer, he said. The video has since been made private. A copy of it was posted on the Southern Maryland News Net YouTube Channel.

Patch file photo