Online Site Causing Montgomery Uproar
By Ernesto Londoño
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 31, 2006
The Montgomery County Fraternal Order of Police will monitor more closely an online message board that some officers have used to post disparaging messages about colleagues, immigrants and other community residents, a union spokesman said yesterday.
Union President Walter Bader is expected to announce at a news conference today that the union intends to block access to members who post racist, sexist or other inappropriate remarks, said Lanny Davis, a lawyer and public affairs expert hired to represent the union on what has become a controversial issue.
"The intention is to have more eyeballs on a real-time basis reviewing the postings," said Davis, who worked as special counsel for the Clinton White House in the late 1990s. "Until now, that hasn't been the case."
The disparaging messages were first reported last week by The Washington Post. The news conference will give Bader an opportunity to say "how sorry he is that these comments have gone unaddressed for so long," Davis said. "He and the FOP intend to fix the problem."
Several officers said they decided to speak to the press about the issue -- which some contend has taken a toll on department morale and possibly officer safety -- after months of receiving tepid responses about their concerns from union leaders and police supervisors.
Davis's statement comes as the union is gearing up for what promises to be a contentious round of contract negotiations. The command staff and the union will meet at the bargaining table in November for the first contract talks in three years and the first under the leadership of Police Chief J. Thomas Manger, who came from the nonunionized Fairfax County police.
The timing of the controversy was not lost on one officer who logged on to the message board the day the Post story ran.
"Just got back from the Public Safety Awards, Duncan came after us in his speech, mentioned the Post article," the officer wrote, referring to an annual Chamber of Commerce awards luncheon and County Executive Douglas M. Duncan (D). "A council member at our table said that this 'does not bode well for the union.' We negotiate our contract in November, let's hope this is a faint memory by then."
Davis said Bader will detail steps today that the union leadership wants members to agree to. He said the union has considered shutting down the board -- as Manger called on it to do -- but is inclined to find a different solution.
One key change is likely to involve giving officers user-specific passwords, which would make it easier to deny access to the message board. Many union members now share passwords. Among other things, union leaders say, that has allowed nonmembers to log on and possibly post messages.
Davis said Bader also will outline the types of messages that will not be allowed on the board.
"We're drawing a line at any racist, bigoted, sexist or inappropriate comment," Davis said.
In the past, Bader has said the message board was much like a bulletin board and that it was facilitated -- but not regulated or censored -- by the union. He also has said anonymity is crucial because many officers otherwise would not feel at liberty to criticize supervisors and departmental policy.
"The balance needs to be struck better," Davis said. "Walt Bader is now recognizing that anonymity cannot be at the expense of allowing sexist and abusive comments."
The messages cited in The Post's story -- including one that called a black policewoman a "ghetto" officer and one that referred to Latino immigrants as "beaners" -- are "rare occurrences," Davis said.
"One instance of bigotry or other inappropriate comments by a police officer is one instance too many," Davis said.
The issue has drawn attention to the entire police department, provoking criticism from politicians, community leaders and other people.
Manger has said he was not fully aware of the spiteful nature of some of the messages until a reporter brought them to his attention, and he has blocked access to the board from county computers. He held a meeting with his African American, Hispanic and Asian advisory boards Wednesday night to discuss the issue, and he e-mailed a statement to Spanish-language media outlets to convey his consternation.
"I sincerely think that these were cowardly words that do not reflect our actions," the chief said in the statement, which was in Spanish. "However, I want to know if there is someone who has evidence that he or she has been treated inappropriately by any member of this department. I want to assure you that this will be treated seriously and carefully investigated by our internal affairs department."
He did not respond to an e-mail seeking comment last night.
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