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Death of Disabled Man Results in Calls for New Police Standards

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.

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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.