Prince George's County names interim police chief following resignation of Hank Stawinski

PALMER PARK, Md. - Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks named an interim police chief on Friday a day after the resignation of longtime leader Hank Stawinski.

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Alsobrooks thanked Stawinski for his service and applauded the former chief’s successes before naming Hector Velez the new interim chief. “He has served the department and he served our community well -- and served it with great integrity,” Alsobrooks said of Stawinski  and added that that the two worked well together. Stawinski served with the Prince George’s County police department for 27 years, the last four as chief.

Prince George's County interim Police Chief Hector Velez

Velez has been with the Prince George's County police department for over 22 years and has also served in the U.S. Army.

Stawinski's resignation came following a 94-page report that claimed “widespread patterns of discrimination and racism permeate the entire department."  FOX 5's Paul Wagner reports that a lawsuit, which was filed a year and a half ago by 13 current and former PGPD officers, claims that the department treats white officers differently than officers of color.

The 94-page report was written by Michael Graham, a former top official with Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and a recognized expert on police practices.

He was given access to some internal affairs files, as well as county police training procedures, and came to the conclusion that officers of color are treated differently.