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Violent arrest on Boardwalk renews concerns, member of Caucus of African American Leaders says.
OCEAN CITY, Md. — There’s more fallout Monday after the parents of a D.C. man accused Ocean City Police of brutalizing their son during an arrest on the Boardwalk last week.
One Maryland civil rights leader said his organization will call on Maryland’s Attorney General to look into the actions of police at the beach.
Carl Snowden of the Caucus of African American Leaders says the most recent incident appears to follow a familiar pattern of alleged police abuse in the Maryland resort town.
In the most recent incident, 34-year-old Denzel Elam Ruff, a high school golf coach from Washington was accused by Ocean City Police of resisting arrest after they say he refusing to comply with the city’s ban on vaping on the Boardwalk.
“It's disappointing to see it repeating itself," Snowden said.
Snowden said a video of the incident appears to show little has changed since viral incidents of violent arrests on the Boardwalk in 2021 made national news, sparked protests, and meetings with Ocean City leaders.
“We met with the mayor who made some commitments," Snowden said.
"One of the commitments he made was that they would put body cameras on, which is great, but we were looking for a systemic solution that would prevent this problem from occurring."
"Remember the policy with all this stems from people vaping on the Boardwalk, right? So maybe the mayor and council want to take a look at that. Is this really what you want to be arresting people for?" Snowden said.
Snowden says his organization will ask Maryland’s Attorney General, Anthony Brown to investigate.
Since 2021 Ocean City Police accelerated a move to deploy body worn cameras.
In its most recent annual report, the department says the deployment of cameras in 2022 has reduced use of force incidents and complaints, and de-escalated aggressive behavior by people interacting with police.
Use of tasers, and assaults on officers also declined sharply in 2022, the reports says.
In a statement, a department spokesperson said the rapid deployment of the cameras is not linked to the 2021 protests.
An FBI review of the Ocean City police department's policies and practices after the 2021 incidents resulted in no findings of federal civil rights violations.
At least two white men complained of Boardwalk brutality in 2021.
Ruff’s family said they were terrorized by Wednesday’s incident and are considering a lawsuit.
Among the charges Ruff faces is 2nd-degree assault on a police officer.
The officers involved are patrolling the city while the department formally reviews the incident, police said.
The city stands by its restrictions on vaping and smoking on the Boardwalk.
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