Leopold: Correcting the record on security detail

The recent letter to the editor by my appointed successor, Laura Neuman, requires a response (“Neuman: I had a plan to reform executive security detail,” Jan. 12).

Ms. Neuman refers to a “covert camera network in the county … monitored by Mr. Leopold’s office.” For the record, the installation of the cameras preceded my administration and reportedly was done in the Arundel Center to address the theft of computers and the personal belongings of county employees. I never requested or viewed a security camera report.

There was no published account of either the investigation by former Commissioner Fred Bealefeld or the one by Deputy Chief William Lowry of my request in January 2011 for an audit of inflated security detail overtime or of the strong police resentment of my efforts to repeal police binding arbitration and require pay cuts during the recession.

While formalizing rules and standards for security details is a long-overdue correction, real reform requires the ability to overcome the stiff resistance of police officers to public oversight.

John R. Leopold, Pasadena

The writer, a Republican, served as county executive in Anne Arundel County from 2006 to 2013.

Getting vaccinated should not be so difficult

These days, I spend my time dialing around Baltimore seeking a coronavirus vaccination. Always, the response seesaws between “we don’t have any vaccines” to “all the shot slots are already taken.” Never any suggestion as to how I might get on the list for a shot. Thus, my fate is to keep on dialing (“Maryland’s vaccine rollout, health secretary pick merit scrutiny,” Jan. 20).

I grant that the federal handling of the vaccination rollout has been a mess, but there is no excuse for the Baltimore area duplicating it. Instead, the region needs to adopt some common sense policies like establishing wait lists for getting shots at various locations together with estimates as to when the individual’s name will come up. The wait list could be used to identify individuals who are so ill or infirm that special arrangements are needed to vaccinate them. Hospitals like Johns Hopkins might be required to give shots to non-patients during this emergency. Further, they might schedule public service announcements detailing progress and problems.

Ken Harbinson, Towson

Making it easier for youth, military to vote a fine idea

I’ve witnessed disengagement from the political process, especially from my college-aged peers. My friends, who are mostly people of color, don’t feel that their voice is ever considered. I’m enthusiastic that the Student and Military Voter Empowerment Act, a bill that’s been introduced in the state legislature to make voter registration easier for college students and members of the military will help to reverse this withdrawal (“Maryland legislators, including one from Harford, file rights bills aimed at increasing student, military votes,” Jan. 8).

There is too much of a hassle in the voting process, whether it is registration or when casting a vote. For example, the national turnout for voters under the age of 29 in 2020 was between 52% and 55% while the national turnout was 66.7%. The Voter Empowerment Act puts methods in place that encourage and make voting and registration easier for students and for military members. We need to tackle all the barriers that dissuade Americans from voting. As a young woman of color who has done work to register young voters, I’ve seen the way these hurdles contribute to low engagement. The Voter Empowerment Act is one of the many necessary steps to get to a democracy that we can be proud of, not one that leaves so many behind.

Lubna Azmi, Baltimore

Elected leaders must intervene to restore prompt postal delivery

What the heck is going on with the United States Postal Service? My wife and I have a combined 48 years experience as letter carriers with the USPS (we have since retired) and we have never seen such inefficiency or lack of accountability in the service. I know when Postmaster DeJoy was installed, he directed the service to dismantle one of the most critical steps in processing mail by removing hundreds of sorting machines across the nation.

It is an unrealistic expectation for any USPS human worker to do the same job as high-speed sorting machines, which were designed to move thousands of letters at lightning speed. I am aware of many friends and family members who are incurring multiple late charges and fees due to this unprecedented delay in mail service. For example: I mailed a utility bill on Dec. 20, 2020, and it still had not been received a month later. I implore all of our elected officials to take a hard look at the recent changes made to the USPS, which have impacted U.S. citizens across the country, and correct them immediately.

I know I speak for many who long for the days of secure, timely, and reliable mail service. I urge all citizens, as I plan to do, to contact their elected representatives to voice their dissatisfaction with this once honored institution.

Michael Carrington, Parkville