Prince George's County Police . . . Again!

Reporter Alleges Excessive Force

A reporter for WJLA-Channel 7 and her cameraman were following a high-ranking Prince George's County official and her police officer driver to investigate a news tip last month about the possible inappropriate use of a county car when they were suddenly surrounded by county and Cheverly police and ordered out of their vehicle at gunpoint.

Andrea McCarren said in an interview yesterday that she was manhandled by a county police officer who she said yanked her right arm out of its socket during the April 15 incident. McCarren said that happened after she followed police commands to get out of her Toyota Highlander sport-utility vehicle with her hands up and slowly walk backward toward the officer.

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For the uninitiated, Prince George's County is the Maryland county that envelopes DC on its Eastside. PG county has a terrible reputation in general. On the one hand, people have described it as "mecca" of Black success in that it has a very high percentage (relatively speaking) of successful Black residents, on the other hand the school system has a crappy reputation, crime and murder are staples of PG county news, and the PG county police force has a worldwide famous horrible police reputation.

I generally try to cut police officers slack, theirs is a tough job. But PG county . . . geez, it's one thing after another. Generally, young Black men drive within the county at their own risk, word was that it was not a very friendly police force. That's the reputation, fair or not. Now, they are on tape roughing up a reporter who was doing an investigative piece on the car use and abuse. Her arm was popped out of its socket. Wild! You would think after all this world class scrutiny, they would just a little cautious about their public image and dealings.