Denton Police Chief addresses investigation launched into officer conduct following disorderly conduct call
Video Courtesy: The Caroline Circle
DENTON, Md – Denton’s Police Chief is calling for an outside agency to conduct an investigation into officers’ response to a disorderly conduct call earlier this month.
A video that went viral on social media showed 38-year-old Christopher Morgan in an altercation with residents on the 300 block of south fourth street. Police issued warrants on Morgan for Assault Second Degree, Malicious Destruction of Property, Disorderly Conduct, and Disturbing the Peace.
The video shows Morgan threatening the owner at the home, and appears to show Morgan breaking parts of the home, while Denton officers stood behind him.
Morgan was not arrested on scene and surrendered himself to the Easton Police Department days later.
Denton Police Chief George Bacorn says the officers were trying to de-escalate the situation.
“There was a dialogue between the suspect and our officers doing their best to de-escalate the situation they wanted him to leave so they could complete what we were trying to accomplish there and their tactics just didn’t work,” Bacorn said.
Chief Bacorn says the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office will be reviewing body camera footage from the incident in an independent investigation.
That will be part of a mandatory internal investigation, which Denton Police are required to launch following a civilian complaint Bacron said was filed against officers at the scene.
The chief says the investigation will help determine if his officers followed best practices.
“If this thing hadn’t hit social media as it did we would have still made an inquiry on it because I saw something that raised concerns in my mind,” Bacorn said, referencing body camera footage he reviewed of the incident.
Findings will be sent to a civilian review board, which will make recommendations on if the officers violated any policies, with the investigation expected to last 60 days.
Bacorn tells 47ABC the department has not yet determined if those findings will be made public, but the civilian complaint resolution will be a matter of public record and open to request.
