WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump centered his 2020 campaign around the theme of “law and order," a term some see as a dog whistle with racist undertones. For Trump, the term was used as a rallying point to win the presidency. But now, America is dealing with the aftermath of the racial divide that his rhetoric has caused.
Protest movements spread across the country after the killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Breonna Taylor in Louisville and the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin among many other high-profile incidents of police violence.
Since then, protesters have called for the reallocation of police funds to go towards addressing the underlying causes of crime, such as poverty and mental health issues. They have also called for police to be held accountable for using excessive force.
In D.C., Maryland and Virginia, this renewed spotlight on law enforcement officers across the country may have cost some of the top cops in the region their jobs.
Here is the list of police chiefs that have resigned or changed jobs this year:
D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham
The chief of DC Police is leaving his post after more than three years in the position, and 31 years with the MPD, to become the police chief of another local department in Virginia. Peter Newsham will become the Prince William County chief of police in February 2021, according to the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.
Prince George's County Police Chief Hank Stawinski
During his 28-year tenure with the PGPD, Stawinksi helped the department secure seven successful bids for accreditation, founded the Behavioral Sciences Services Unit, and led the “Arrive Alive” officer driving safety campaign at the time of his resignation.
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Fairfax County Police Chief Edwin Roessier
Brad Carruthers, President of the Fairfax Fraternal Order of Police, previously told WUSA9 there was a lack of trust in the department. He said he believed some of that stemmed from an incident in the summer when an FCPD officer was charged with assault after using a stun gun on a man.
Anne Arundel County Police Chief Timothy Altomore
In an opinion column to the Capital Gazette, Altomore said his retirement has "nothing to do" with the 2019 case, but that he could no longer support "a future in which cops' rights are stripped away and your officers are treated like the criminals."