A service of Salisbury University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Support Provided By: (Sponsored Content)

Death of Disabled Man Results in Calls for New Police Standards

facebook page

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - A Maryland lawmaker is calling for statewide standards relating to approaching the disabled, after a man with Down syndrome died when police tried to remove him from a movie theater.

Del. Heather Mizeur asked Gov. Martin O'Malley in a letter Tuesday to launch an investigation under the state's health department.

Mizeur, a Montgomery County Democrat who is running for governor, requested a commission be formed to design statewide standards for workforce training.

In January, 26-year-old Robert Ethan Saylor died of asphyxia after police tried to forcibly remove him for staying for a second movie showing without paying in Frederick County.

Critics have called for an independent investigation of the three deputies' actions. A grand jury decided in March not to indict them.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.
Help us continue our comprehensive coverage of the Delmarva Peninsula and the mentoring of the broadcasters and journalists of tomorrow by becoming a sustaining member of Delmarva Public Media
Latest from NPR