Anne Arundel County Police Maj. Thomas Wilson is awarded the Commander's Award for Public Service from Garrison Commander Col. Edward C. Rothstein during an awards ceremony March 27 at Western District Headquarters in Odenton. The ceremony - hosted b...
FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (April 5, 2012) -- A few weeks prior to the start of Pfc. Bradley Manning's Article 32 hearing last December, the Directorate of Emergency Services was notified that demonstrators were planning to protest outside of the installation.
After a quick assessment, DES partnered with the Anne Arundel County Police Department to supplement the installation's personnel.
In gratitude to the local police for its assistance, Garrison Commander Col. Edward C. Rothstein and officials from DES held an awards ceremony for the Anne Arundel County Police Department on March 27 at the Western District Headquarters in Odenton.
"We could not have done it without you," Rothstein said at the ceremony.
Before the weeklong hearing, Fort Meade Police requested support from other installations in the area, but still didn't have enough officers to meet the mission's requirements.
"We had a courtroom we had to secure, we had a high-profile subject that had to be secure during movement and at the court house, we had to have the ability to process up to 200 to 300 demonstrators if they made the decision to come on the installation itself, and we also had to secure our gates and our perimeters," said Maj. (P) J. Darrell Sides, Fort Meade's new director of DES.
County police provided Fort Meade with a dozen officers to assist throughout the process. Anne Arundel County Police Maj. Thomas Wilson said this included intelligence gathering, placing patrol officers on Route 175 during demonstrations and providing a civil disturbance team.
"It was a great opportunity for us to work with a partner we don't have a chance to work with very often, and it was a great opportunity to test what we do," Wilson said. "All in all, it was an outstanding effort."
In addition to providing support during the hearing, the county police played a role in the planning process. Using intelligence and information they received, the county police and DES formulated a game plan.
"The mission went off without a hitch," Sides said. "It could not have gone more beautifully."
Rothstein said county police allowed the installation to operate despite the events taking place inside and outside the gates.
"The partnership that we have with the county is phenomenal," he said. "You made it very simple and very easy for me to continue to do the work I need to do during the Pfc. Manning Article 32 hearing."
During the brief ceremony, Rothstein presented county police officers with Certificates of Patriotic Civilian Service. Wilson, who served as incident commander, was presented with the Commander's Award for Public Service.
"The bottom line is, the best two words in our vocabulary is 'thank you,' " Rothstein said. "From me to you, it's a simple as that."
Both Rothstein and Sides said they were impressed with the county police officers and hope to build on the partnership created.
"Your department and your agencies are the kind that we all want to achieve to be and want to be part of," Sides said. "At Fort Meade, we feel a special attachment to you all and we know you have our back because you've already proven that on multiple levels."
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