More News

New Carrollton's police chief has been cleared of wrongdoing after he was accused of selling three seized vehicles without proper advertisement and mistreating a suspect in custody, according to a statement released by the city mayor.

Federal Bureau of Investigation and Maryland State Police investigations turned up no wrongdoing by Police Chief David Rice, said Mayor Andrew Hanko. Rice was first placed on administrative leave when the investigations began in October 2008, but Hanko took him off leave in December 2008.

Rice declined to go into detail about the investigation but said he was appreciative of the resident support this past year.

"I'd really like to thank the residents who all came together and really, really supported me and the police department and the administration's decision to say, ‘Let's see what happens. Let's not be hasty with our decisions,'" Rice said.

New Carrollton city officials have not disclosed details of the investigations or what prompted the investigations to begin.

The Maryland State Police investigation concluded in October, but officials are not commenting on the investigation, said Elena Russo, a state police spokeswoman. FBI officials are not permitted to say when investigations end, said Richard J. Wolf, an FBI spokesman who referred comment to the U.S. attorney's office.

Marcia Murphy, a spokesman for the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, said her office could not confirm or deny investigations.

Hanko released a statement at the Nov. 18 city council meeting that said the New Carrollton administration recently met with a Maryland State Police officer to review the investigation.

"We were informed that the FBI concluded the criminal investigation and found no criminal misconduct. The Maryland State Police have also concluded their investigation into charges involving possible conduct unbecoming a police officer, and no misconduct on the part of Chief Rice was found. The matter has been turned over to me for administrative review, and since this is a personnel matter, no further comments or questions will be entertained," Hanko wrote.

Hanko did not return calls for further comment by The Gazette's deadline.

Residents and members of the New Carrollton Police Foundation Inc., a nonprofit organization, have asked since the beginning of the investigation for transparency from the city government, going as far to create a defense legal fund for Rice.

Foundation member and New Carrollton resident Kathy Bevard said she was elated but not surprised at the outcome.

"I expected it," Bevard said. "I just couldn't understand how he could be guilty. I never felt the man was guilty."

Councilwoman June Garrett said the investigations were a burden to Rice and his family and that she is happy the ordeal is finally over.

"He has done nothing in this city in my opinion but show interest in the community, in the people in the community," Garrett said. "He's always been at the citizens' beck and call at all times."

Garrett was a resident when the investigations began in October 2008 but served on the council in 2005 when the city council agreed to start a police department. She was elected to the council again in May.

"It just put a damper on the city, because New Carrollton is just kind of a little place that nobody really knows about other than the Metro," Garrett said. "We're the end of the line of a Metro. We're not really in the news that much. If you have a corrupt city police chief or a corrupt city police department, it just puts a veil over the city itself."

E-mail Natalie McGill at nmcgill@gazette.net.