City Rehired Officer with Troubling Work History

District Heights Police Officer Travon Campbell s.tands near patrol vehicle

DBlastMedia began gathering information on PFC Travon Campbell earlier this week after District Heights City Commissioners passed a resolution to expunge his disciplinary record and make him eligible for re-hire.

Campbell joined the District Heights Police Department in 2012. He resigned approximately three years later and, in March 2017, started working for the Reidsville, North Carolina Police Department. Campbell held that position for less than two years before moving to the Hyattsville Police Department. Then two or so years into that job, Campbell left his uniforms, equipment, and duty weapon in a police cruiser parked outside the station and abruptly quit.

A source familiar with the situation told DBlastMedia that Campbell claimed he had developed panics attacks because of mistreatment from supervisors. The source countered that Campbell tends to challenge orders and gripes when confronted about work issues. Campbell re-joined the District Heights Police Department in March of 2021.

According to records obtained from District Heights under the Maryland Public Information Act, Campbell received several complaints upon his return. One complaint, filed by a city resident, alleged Campbell ticketed the man in retaliation for a past incident. In another complaint, a female driver expressed discontent about her encounter with Campbell.

When Campbell received a negative performance review in December of 2021, he drove home while on-duty, changed clothes, returned to the station with his city-issued gear, and resigned. Meanwhile, dispatchers tried repeatedly to contact Campbell for a 911 call. Hearing no response, dispatchers declared an emergency, prompting officers from multiple agencies to scour for him.

Besides that incident, several other disciplinary matters were pending against Campbell at the time of his most recent resignation. The saga resumed when Campbell enlisted help from Commissioner Xander Harcourt to get his job back. Sources told us that Campbell is using Harcourt's animosity towards police leaders' for his benefit. Which seems evident considering Harcourt introduced the resolution without consulting the department's top brass or showing any regard for Campbell's troubling past conduct.