Seat Pleasant police chief suspended over mismanagement accusations

SEAT PLEASANT, md. - The police chief in Seat Pleasant, Maryland has been suspended from the job and an investigation is underway.

Chief Devan Martin has led the department since 2016.

Deputy Police Chief D.T. Harris tells FOX5 he was out of town last week when he got the call from city leaders asking if he could take the helm. 

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Harris said Monday he doesn’t know how long he will be leading the department. 

"I don’t know, but while I’m here I’m going to make our community proud," Harris said. "One of the things we did immediately was a review of the entire department. As of late last week, we did employee evaluations of every employee and completed those, and I’m just going to do a complete review of everything in the department and give a comprehensive report to the city council." 

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Harris said he hasn’t spoken to Martin and could not speak to the investigation underway. 

FOX 5 spoke briefly by phone to City Manager Stanley Mosley, but he said he couldn’t talk and hung up without responding to questions. 

The mayor’s seat is currently vacant in the city after the longtime mayor had to step down after missing too many council meetings. 

Long-time Seat Pleasant mayor stepping down after missing 3 consecutive meetings

Acting Chief Harris says the department currently has about 26 officers even though they got funding in last year’s budget for 36. He said they are still hiring for those positions. 

The department has come under fire in the past, notably about a year ago when alarming body camera footage was posted online. 

One video shows an officer with a gun threatening to blow someone’s head off. Another appears to show an officer calling a friend via video, laughing as he shows a suspect on the ground with his private area exposed.

Chief Martin didn’t return multiple requests for comment Monday.