Commentary - Patrick Murphy: Defending Leonard Hamm, opposing the death penalty

I have been a member of the police community for more than six decades. Among other things, I have been a police commissioner in both Detroit and New York City and a police chief in Syracuse. Most recently I was the police consultant to Prince George’s County Executive Jack Johnson.

If I believed that the death penalty deterred murder, I would support it. After all, law enforcement officials like myself have dedicated our lives to preventing murder and protecting society. But in all of my years in policing, everything I’ve seen suggests the opposite. The death penalty does not keep us safe, and I believe that soon, Maryland will wake up and get rid of it.

Last week, this newspaper reported that Baltimore City Police Commissioner Leonard Hamm had received some criticism for signing the same statement.

Leonard Hamm’s critics are wrong.

As police officers, we know firsthand that the system makes mistakes. Small suburban and rural police departments, for example, have little homicide investigation expertise because murders are relatively rare. The good officers who investigate those cases lack experience and resources.

Meanwhile, big city police departments may have specialized homicide detectives trained to do the job well, but any number of other factors can get in the way and remind us that we are all still human. And human beings make mistakes.

Just this month a Maryland forensics expert committed suicide after reports revealed that he had lied about his credentials. Cases in which he testified have now been called into question. Two of his cases already led to an execution. It’s impossible to guarantee that every stage of the process, from investigation to trial to appeal, will be free from error.

Perhaps more important to police officers is the question of resources. I’ve run police forces and had the duty to protect my officers on the streets. Unfortunately, no state treasury has a bottomless pit of law enforcement dollars. In making choices about the most effective way to spend them, the death penalty would be last on my list.

The state can protect many more officers at a fraction of the cost by adding police, providing the best protective equipment available and implementing effective policing programs known to reduce crime. The death penalty is simply a distraction from the real issues surrounding public safety.

Leonard Hamm is not alone. Many, many police on the streets and in leadership positions know that in the day-to-day, the death penalty is not the most effective way to protect them.

Maryland’s death penalty repeal bill may have deadlocked in committee this year. But there is growing awareness in our state that the system is broken. It’s only a matter of time before it is finally scrapped. When it happens, it won’t be a day too soon.

Patrick Murphy, who most recently served as a police consultant in Prince George’s County, is a former commissioner of the New York City and Detroit Police Departments.