June Employee of the Month – MCP Officer Herring

Officer Herring serves on the Maryland Capitol Police Baltimore Detachment night shift, working when most of us are asleep. He patrols the Baltimore & Inner Harbor Complex, making security checks of buildings and offices, checking on fellow security staff, and enforcing the law as needed.

In January this year, Officer Herring was on mobile patrol when he observed a traffic violation on Preston Street. He conducted a traffic stop and issued several tickets for the registration and title violations he found. The operator of the vehicle was a “Sovereign Citizen.” For those who don’t know, sovereign citizens are described by the FBI as “anti-government extremists who believe that even though they physically reside in the United States, they are separate – or “sovereign” – from the country. They believe that they don’t have to answer to any government authority, including courts, taxing entities, motor vehicle departments or law enforcement.”

Throughout a lengthy legal process over the next four months, which included five failure-to-appears, Officer Herring maintained contact with the State’s Attorney’s office. He kept all court dates, which of course, were during the day when Officer Herring usually slept. In April, this dedication resulted in a full prosecution of the case, with the individual found guilty on 13 counts.