Police Union Condemns Bel Air's Response To Claims Against Chief

BEL AIR, MD — The Bel Air Police Association is calling for an independent investigation into the domestic violence allegations surrounding Bel Air Police Chief Charles Moore, who was served with a protective order this week. In addition, the association, which is the union for the rank and file of the Bel Air Police Department, took issue with statements Town Administrator Jesse Bane made to The Aegis normalizing the filing of protective orders against law enforcement officers.

Moore's estranged wife was granted a temporary protective order against him Tuesday that resulted in him being placed on administrative leave from the police department. He is accused of choking their teenage son, who had punched him in the face in December, and brushing off his wife, who fell to the ground, The Aegis reported, based on the protective order petition.

"This is nothing unusual," Bane, who was the Harford County sheriff from 2006 to 2014, told The Aegis of protective orders being filed against law enforcement officers.

The Bel Air Police Association issued a statement early Saturday morning rejecting Bane's claim.

"There is nothing normal about this," the union said in a statement. "A police officer being accused of domestic violence and being the respondent of a protective order is highly unusual."

Continued the union: "Our officers take great pride in protecting and serving our community while conducting themselves in a professional manner on and off duty."

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• Bel Air Police Chief Placed On Administrative Leave

Bane also said, according to The Aegis, that the town would not be investigating the matter since it happened in another jurisdiction.

The events referenced in the protective order reportedly occurred in Jarrettsville, where Moore's wife lives with their son.

Regardless of where allegations stemmed from, the Bel Air Police Association said there should be a probe. It also questioned the precedent for determining no investigation would occur.

"Mr. Bane further commented that no investigation will be done because the alleged misconduct occurred outside of Bel Air. This is not a standard that has been applied to officers in the past. Whenever a police officer is accused of wrongdoing they are subject to an investigation regardless of where the incident occurred," the union said in a statement.

"Allegations of misconduct should be investigated thoroughly regardless of jurisdictional boundaries or rank. In the interest of fairness and public trust, an independent investigation into the allegations against Chief Moore must be conducted," the union said. "This will help ensure the continued trust and faith of the citizens we serve."

The Harford County Sheriff's Office told The Dagger that it had referred an investigation into an allegation of child abuse to the Baltimore County Police Department due to potential conflicts of interest, since Moore is on the board of directors for the Harford County Child Advocacy Center, which would normally handle such cases.

As a result of the protective order being served Tuesday, Moore was ordered to surrender his firearms, not have contact with his son's school or care providers, stay away from the residence in Jarrettsville and not abuse or contact those involved. According to The Dagger, 24 firearms were confiscated from Moore.

A protective order is a civil, not a criminal, matter. It is issued on a temporary basis, usually for seven days, and a judge will determine Tuesday whether to extend it.