ST. MARY’S COUNTY SHERIFF STEVE HALL IS ILLEGALLY BLOCKING PUBLIC ACCESS TO PUBLIC INFORMATION, AND TAXPAYERS WILL PAY FOR HIS INTENTIONAL BLUNDERS

ST. MARY’S COUNTY SHERIFF STEVE HALL IS ILLEGALLY BLOCKING PUBLIC ACCESS TO PUBLIC INFORMATION, AND TAXPAYERS WILL PAY FOR HIS INTENTIONAL BLUNDERS

EDITORIAL
BY JOHN E. O’CONNOR
THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY

The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Department faces intense public criticism over its handling of public information, with mounting evidence of systemic efforts to suppress transparency and avoid accountability. At the heart of the controversy is a staggering $8,276 fee demanded by the Sheriff’s Department to access historical crime data previously available for free through online platforms like CityProtect. The fee, outlined in response to a Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) request, has sparked outrage among residents, watchdogs, and local leaders, further eroding trust in the Department under Sheriff Steve Hall.

A letter dated November 26, 2024, from the Department of Professional Responsibilities revealed that fulfilling a request for five years of shooting-related incident data would require an extensive manual review of approximately 331 case files. The Department justified the exorbitant fee by citing labor costs of $25 per hour for the necessary research and redaction, estimating over 330 hours of work. However, this response starkly contrasts with past practices under former Sheriff Tim Cameron, when similar data was provided promptly, often within hours, at no cost to the public. There is a historical case ledger system that the report can be run in, and a manual review is not required, according to sources from the St Mary’s County Sheriff’s Department. 

The fee, now required to access data previously available for free online through CityProtect, underscores the ongoing fallout from the taxpayer-funded system’s abandonment. In January 2024, Major Clay Safford directed that data uploads to CityProtect cease, rendering the system nonfunctional. Despite costing taxpayers $4,126 annually, CityProtect has been sidelined in favor of Tyler Technologies’ Citizen Connect system, which notably excludes historical data, creating significant barriers to accessing long-term crime trends.

Emails and official communications show a calculated effort by Sheriff Hall, Major Safford, and Captain Shawn Moses to obscure the failure of CityProtect. Motorola, the system’s vendor, offered to repair and restore the platform at no cost, but the proposal was rejected. Instead, the Sheriff’s Department chose to transition to Citizen Connect. This decision ensured the public could no longer access historical crime data without incurring significant costs.

This shift in approach suggests a deliberate strategy to suppress information that could cast the current administration in a negative light

Compounding these issues, the Sheriff’s Department has consistently violated First Amendment principles by suppressing dissent on its social media platforms. Critical comments have been hidden or deleted, and users have been blocked without due process, actions that contravene legal precedents established in Davison v. Randall and Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law v. Governor Larry Hogan. This pattern of censorship aligns with broader efforts to shield the administration from scrutiny, further undermining public trust.

The $8,276 fee for historical crime data not only raises accessibility concerns but also highlights a broader issue of mismanagement and disregard for transparency. The Department claims that processing the request would take 30 days and require extensive resources, directly contradicting Sheriff Cameron’s practices when similar data was prepared and released efficiently. This shift in approach suggests a deliberate strategy to suppress information that could cast the current administration in a negative light.

The deliberate removal of references to CityProtect from public platforms and the refusal to acknowledge the system’s failure further illustrate Sheriff Hall’s administration’s lengths to obscure the truth. Residents, journalists, and even county commissioners have been left in the dark about the actual state of crime trends in St. Mary’s County, with critical data effectively locked behind a prohibitive paywall. 

Hall went so far as to assure the St Mary’s County Commissioners that the system was working and that it was just a transition process when, in fact, his staff ordered the system to be shut down, according to obtained emails, proving an outright lie on behalf of the Sheriff and Senior Staff. The very same unredacted emails received, which were verified with redacted versions from the Sheriff’s Department, paint a Far worse picture than Clay Safford, Shawn Moses, and Hall’s attempt to pose to the same County Commissioner that crime data may not even be releasable under the Public Information Act.  

The evidence paints a troubling picture of a leadership team prioritizing political preservation over public accountability and safety. This systematic suppression of public discourse and evasion of transparency demands immediate intervention. This is why Chesapeake Today was forced to file suit in the Circuit Court of Maryland, St Mary’s County, for violating the Public Information Act. Another venture that will likely cost the taxpayers thousands of dollars to defend a corrupt act. 

The people of St. Mary’s County deserve better. They have a right to leaders who respect their right to information and prioritize transparency. The $8,276 fee for what was once freely accessible data is not just an insult to taxpayers—it is a betrayal of public trust.  

“The public deserves better; This is not just about a fee. It’s about a pattern of behavior that prioritizes secrecy over accountability.” “Hall has lost his mind first; he sits in a recent budget work session and asks for a $50M indoor shooting range, and now this, guess they need it so he doesn’t shoot any more homes in the County; he just needs to worry about crime it’s just not safe anymore” stated one county commissioner who asked that his name not be disclosed to try to salvage any working relationship and preserve the budget process they are currently undergoing.  

The County Commissioners should not have to worry about Hall letting any errand rounds off as he is by all accounts a prohibited person under Maryland Law from legally possessing, owning, or transferring a firearm after his 1994 arrest and conviction in Gunnison, Colorado, for a Serious Assault in which he spent three days in jail. However, he was given a pass to carry a firearm while on official sheriff’s department business after a three-month stint of not wearing a gun. At the same time, the legal process shook itself out, according to reliable sources within the sheriff’s department. It should be noted that these sources are not allies of Hall and disagree with his complete and utter mismanagement of the agency; nevertheless, they are still reliable sources. 

The Chesapeake Today has tapped the FBI and Maryland State Police for the real facts and crime data. The FBI’s crime data provides a standardized and comprehensive view of public safety that local agencies cannot manipulate or obscure. Unlike local reports, which often lack consistency and may be influenced by political agendas, the FBI requires all participating law enforcement agencies to report using uniform definitions and detailed classifications of crimes. This data is mandatory for federal funding and undergoes rigorous quality control, ensuring accuracy and reliability. The FBI also makes its reports publicly accessible, contrasting sharply with local practices like St. Mary’s County’s $8,276 fee for historical crime data. The FBI’s long-term historical records also allow for meaningful trend analysis, offering a clear and verifiable picture of crime patterns. As Sheriff Hall’s administration continues to suppress or limit access to local crime information, the FBI’s data and data from the Maryland State Police will give the public the transparency and accountability it deserves.