Even with this admission, Baltimore commanders are still playing semantics here. They say orders ‘not to engage’ or ‘hold the line’ are not the same thing as ‘stand down’. But c’mon…really? Do I need to play the video again of cops ‘not engaging’?
Okay, here it is:
Now here’s the article:
BALTIMORE SUN – Baltimore police commanders acknowledge that they ordered officers not to engage rioters multiple times on the day of Freddie Gray’s funeral but said they did so to protect officers and citizens as they prioritized life over property.
In an interview with The Baltimore Sun, police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts and six top commanders who directed deployments on April 27 denied that they gave blanket orders to do nothing as rioters looted, raided businesses and even attacked officers with impunity.
More than two months after riots broke out across Baltimore, top brass and rank-and-file officers continue to spar over how platoons of officers were deployed that day. About 160 officers were injured in the riots and businesses suffered millions of dollars in damage.
Batts has repeatedly denied issuing a “stand down” order — akin to ordering a withdrawal — while officers say they were in effect given such an order, either over the radio or in person, when they were told “do not engage” or “hold the line.”
Commanders told The Sun that they asked officers to “hold the line” as part of an overall deployment strategy to create a barrier between rioters and police operations and potentially vulnerable people. If officers broke lines during a face-off with rock-throwing protesters, for instance, they could be isolated and surrounded by mobs. And if officers broke the line to make arrests, they might have been forced to guard them amid all the chaos when transport vans weren’t available.
“There’s an amount of discipline necessary to navigate your way through a civil disturbance,” Deputy Commissioner Kevin Davis said.
But some officers say they should have been able to break their shoulder-to-shoulder lines and charge rioters, make arrests and quell the disturbance. The police union supports their claims, and the organization is expected to release an “after action report” in the coming weeks that should include many first-hand accounts from officers.
Batts and his top commanders said officers are confusing “stand down” with “hold the line” — a command they acknowledge was given repeatedly.
Their objective was simple, according to Deputy Commissioner Dean Palmere: “Protect assets, protect life.”