Police Chief Hired Fraudsters During Hiring Blitz

Capitol Heights Police Chief Mark Cummings.

Chief Mark Cummings was a Maryland State Police Sergeant before joining the Capitol Heights Police Department in 2017. Records indicate that Cummings' career was unremarkable. Of his twenty plus year with MSP, DBlastMedia found only one reference to Cummings online. In that instance, a reporter quoted information he provided about a highway incident.

An inside source who agreed to speak on the condition their name not be published, always wondered how Cummings became Capitol Heights' Top Cop. The person says Cummings was less-qualified than most rival applicants and interview panelists considered him to be among the worst contenders. Town councilmembers were slated to interview the three highest-rated applicants. Weeks after applicants shuffled into Town Hall wearing suits, some carrying thank you cards for interviewers, Town officials announced Cummings as the new police chief.

Investigative journalist Shabazz Washington spoke with three longtime police executives who say Cummings' hiring illistrates the careless governance fueling dysfunction in many small municipalities.

The Capitol Heights Police Department has not progressed much in the five years since Cummings took charge. The handful of mostly unskilled employees still work in a dilapidated police station. The department has virtually no social media presence. The police webpage is bare-bones and uninformative. There were still christmas themed decorations and holiday crime prevention tips on the webpage when Investigative journalist Shabazz Washington visited online in May. The lack of easily accessible public information and statistical data on CHPD is a concern citizens across the nation have expressed about law enforcement.

Cummings has constantly struggled to attract quality applicants. Recruiting has become a problem for many police executives. Cummings inexperience and lackadaisical management style worsens the situation. As does the department's sketchy reputation and poorly maintained public-facing systems.

Cummings has tried solving the problem with free gym memberships and subsidized family outings in addition to longevity pay and typical salary increases. Pay is obviously important to job seekers and employees, but retirement benefits and working conditions usually matter more. The Cheverly Police Department is a prime example. Starting salaries for officers are higher than nearly all the municipalities in Prince George's County, Maryland. Yet, employees have regularly left for jobs paying significantly less. Many ran to get away because of favortism, constant gossip, and disreputable management.

Cummings brought good news when seven police officers were hired between August and September of last year. But it seems most the people are ill-suited for policing. DBlastMedia discovered five were rejected from other agencies for past conduct such as criminal arrests, suspended licenses, job terminations, civil judgments, serious traffic offenses, and false statements.

Officer Anthony Coleman Jr. hiring is especially troubling. Sources say Coleman embezzled money and committed forgery when working for a national non-profit organization. He criminally defrauded another employer after that. Coleman has a decade of unpaid debts, tax liens, and other bad behaviors as well.

DBlastMedia reached out to Police Chief Mark Cummings and the Capitol Heights Town Council for comment, but neither responded.