Pittman Names Interim Police Chief After Lawsuit Against Police

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Anne Arundel County has a new police chief, at least for the time being. County Executive Steuart Pittman said Thursday that William Lowry will be the Anne Arundel County Police Department’s interim chief of police. Lowry will replace Timothy Altomare, who retired last week, the day after an Odenton man filed a use-of-force lawsuit against the department.

“I believe that Chief Lowry is uniquely qualified for the task before us,” Pittman said in a news release. “He is widely respected by our officers, and he is deeply respected by me. The Anne Arundel County Police Department is in good hands under Chief Lowry, as are the 580,000 people who live here.”

Lowry was previously the department’s deputy chief of police, a position he assumed when he rejoined Anne Arundel County’s police force in 2019. Lowry’s first stint with the department spanned from 2013 to 2015 when he was assistant police chief to former chief Kevin Davis. Between 2015 and 2019, Lowry served Prince George’s County as the joint police chief for the Colmar Manor and Cottage City Police Departments.

Lowry has worked in public safety for 47 years. He joined the Prince George’s County police in 1973, starting his nearly-27-year tenure with the department.

The NFL lured Lowry away from policing in 2000. From then until 2004, Lowry worked as a security director for the Washington Football Team. After a two-year run working for NASA, Lowry returned to the NFL where he worked in the Miami Dolphins' security department until 2009. One more stretch with NASA took Lowry to 2013 when he first joined the Anne Arundel County Police Department.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank County Executive Pittman for placing his trust in me to lead the men and women of the Anne Arundel County Police Department as the Interim Chief of Police,” Lowry said in the release. “I am extremely humbled by this decision. I look forward to seeing this police department continue to provide excellent police service and to have many opportunities to work with our community members. I love our Police Department and I love the community that we serve and protect.”

Pittman also announced that he is transferring one of his staffers, Derek Matthews, to Lowry's team. His main job will be implementing and overseeing new body camera policies for the department. Matthews will serve as Lowry's special assistant.

In accordance with county law, Lowry will serve as interim police chief for 60 days. The County Council may extend his term by up to four months with a formal resolution. Pittman said he is searching for a permanent chief.

Lowry’s predecessor announced his retirement last week. Altomare’s term ends on Saturday, at which point Lowry will take office.

Altomare says his choice is not related to the lawsuit filed against the department, and he insists that nobody pressured him into retiring. He instead says he cannot be a part of a police force stripped of its rights.

The suit's plaintiff, Daniel Jarrells, accused an Anne Arundel County police officer of kneeling on his neck while he was already handcuffed after a traffic stop. Jarrells is asking for at least $75,000 in damages for what he calls excessive force, which a bystander caught on video. His lawsuit also seeks a court order to ban the use of force on handcuffed arrestees.

The way Jarrells says an officer knelt on his neck resembles the same force used against George Floyd. Floyd, a Black man, died while a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck on May 25. Protesters around the country have since demanded widespread police reform under a common Black Lives Matter movement.

“To the activists in Anne Arundel County protesting George Floyd’s death, I could not agree with you more!” Altomare wrote in a retirement letter. “I salute you for standing up to that injustice.”

Though Altomare supports protesters, he is frustrated with the pushback against police right now. Officers have rights too, Altomare says.

“I cannot, however, endorse a future in which cop’s rights are stripped away and your officers are treated like criminals,” Altomare wrote. “They are brave to a fault and faithful unto death.”

Former County Executive Steve Schuh appointed him in 2014. He has worked for the department for more than 20 years.

Pittman applauded the chief’s doubling of Black officers in the department. Pittman also congratulated Altomare for implementing bias training for all police officers and making the county’s crisis intervention team world-class. The team won an award earlier this month, naming it the top group in the world.

“Chief Altomare has been an outstanding police chief,” Pittman said in a press release announcing Altomare's retirement. “He took a divided and damaged department in 2014 and implemented more of the 21st Century Policing Task Force reforms than any Maryland department that I know of.”

Despite his gritty approach to law enforcement, the soon-to-be former police chief said he would have held the officers accountable if he stuck around. As protesters call for conversations about race and policing, Altomare believes this case isn’t a racial problem.

“This conversation is not about race for me,” Altomare said. “We would die to protect any person who needed us, regardless of skin tone, religion, sexual orientation or any other thing that people use to chop up humanity into smaller groups.”

Some protesters have urged legislators to “defund the police.” Most of these activists understand the heavy workload officers face. They also realize that police are often dispatched to scenes where they may not be the most appropriate personnel to respond.

Those calling to defund the police point to mental health emergencies and homelessness complaints as situations where other professionals may be more helpful. To ease police workload and create more sensitive treatment, some advocates are urging legislators to defer a sliver of police money to social services.

The Anne Arundel County police department has a budget of about $162 million for the 2021 fiscal year, which started on July 1. That is an increase of around $5 million from the year prior.

The county has not yet publicly published the full 2021 budget on its website. Only Pittman’s budget proposal presentation and general overview are currently available.

Altomare says he respects the activists asking to defund the police and would do anything to protect their liberties, but he disagrees. Police should maintain their funding and continue to be “sheepdogs” watching the county.

The legal action does not seem to be the top worry for Altomare. He is more concerned with Jarrells' demand for a court order to limit police force. If accepted, this order would ban on the use of unnecessary force against already-handcuffed people.

“The flock needs protecting, the sheepdogs do that when the wolf shows up,” Altomare wrote. “I am a sheepdog and I will not apologize for it. If society takes the teeth from its sheepdogs, there is simply more sheep for the slaughter.”

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