Frederick Mayor Says Releasing Body Cam Video Was Being ‘Pro-Active’

The video was shows officers trying to calm a situation a man acting erratically.

Frederick, Md (KM) The Frederick City Police were being pro-active when they released the body cam video from an incident on Friday, November 12th. That’s according to Mayor Michael O’Connor, who was a guest recently on WFMD’s “Morning News Express.”

The Mayor said the city has nothing to hide in this case. “Our determination as an organization was we should not leave that question in the public’s mind if they know that that footage is going to be coming out from some other agency, wondering for however long that takes, what is actually on that video,” he said.

The incident occurred at a home in the 1800 block of Greenlease Drive, where officers were called for a man acting erratically. Daniel Michael Holley, 23, of Virginia, was naked and sweating profusely.

The video shows police trying to de-escalate the situation, but Holley continued to be agitated, knocking the glasses from the face of one of the officers. He then grabbed the same officer, tackling him to a wall. Another officer tased Holley.

Police were able to place him in handcuffs after a brief struggle. Holley was taken to a waiting ambulance outside and transported to Frederick Health Hospital.

That following Sunday, November 14th, Frederick Police were informed that Holley passed away.

Mayor O’Connor says details about the case, including the video, were turned over to the Maryland Attorney General’s Office which will conduct an investigation.

In the video, Police Chief Jason Lando said it’s believed Holley may have ingested something harmful. He mentioned it may have been bleach.

New Police Department Headquarters

On another topic, Mayor O’Connor says the city is expected to close on the purchase of the former Social Services Building on East All Saints Street in early December. The Board of Aldermen approved the purchase on November 18th for use as a new Police Department headquarters.

During his appearance on the “Morning News Express,” O’Connor was asked if the city considered buying the former State Farm Building on Oak Street. “At the time that we were going through our  diligence process on trying to find a new police headquarters, it fell a little bit outside of the geography that we were most interested in placing our facility, and we certainly don’t need 26-acres for our police department, and it wasn’t really on the market,”: he said.

There were calls for keeping the Police Department in downtown Frederick. The agency has been located in cramped quarters at the County Court House since the 1980’s, and has been looking for new and larger facilities.

If the renovations to the building are completed on time, the Police Department could move into its new home by late 2023.

The County has purchased the former State Farm building on Oak Street. It’s expected to provide additional space to some county government agencies, including a new 911 center.

By Kevin McManus