Maryland Police Training Commission Adopts Training Objectives

by Kevin McManus from 930 WFMD Free Talk:
Proposals to help improve training of police officers when dealing with persons with disabilities were adopted last week by the Maryland Police Training Commission. The recommendations, from the Commission for Effective Community Inclusion of Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (the Inclusion Commission), are expected to be incorporated into training programs for law enforcement recruits, according to George Failla, the Acting Secretary of the Maryland Department of Disabilities.
"As we move forward with the next academy or set of academy training sessions for the new recruits, all different academies will need to meet these training objectives," says Failla.
The Inclusion Commission was set up last year by the Governor following the death of Ethan Saylor of New Market. He died following a struggle with off-duty Sheriff's Deputies who were trying to remove him from a movie theater. Saylor had Down Syndrome.

Film about Ethan Saylor case gets a screening

by the Associated Press from The Washington Post:
FREDERICK, Md. — A documentary filmmaker is providing a preview in Frederick of his movie about the death in custody of a man with Down syndrome.
The Arc of Frederick County says Edward Rhodes is screening a short-form, rough cut of the film Wednesday night at the organization’s office.
Rhodes is from Martinsburg, West Virginia.
The project stems from the death in January 2013 of Robert Ethan Saylor, a 26-year-old man with Down syndrome from New Market.
Saylor suffocated to death as three Frederick County sheriff’s deputies, moonlighting as mall security officers, tried to remove him from a Frederick movie theater because he hadn’t purchased a ticket for a second viewing of the movie, “Zero Dark Thirty.”
A Frederick County grand jury declined to indict the deputies.

Commission Holds Final Listening Session In Frederick

from WFMD 930 Free Talk:
The final listening session of the Maryland Commission for Effective Community Inclusion Of Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities was held in Frederick on Saturday afternoon. The panel was set up to examine training for police officers and other first-responders in dealing with persons with disabilities, and to make recommendations.
Members heard from a number of witnesses, including Phyllis Lidell, whose grandson has autism. She  said he also  has physical disabilities no one can see. "Police officers are working with everybody. They're so vulnerable to their ignorance, and other people's ignorance. They are looked on for guidance in these situations. They're looked at to set an example and control the situation. And when they're out of control themselves, we've got mayhem," she said.
The panel was appointed by the Governor in September, 2013, following the death of Ethan Saylor, 26, of New Market, who died following a struggle with off-duty sheriff's deputies who were trying to remove him from a movie theater in Frederick. He had Down Syndrome.

Patti Saylor to be honored nationally for advocacy

by Danielle E. Gaines from The Frederick News-Post: 
Patti Saylor will be honored with the National Down Syndrome Society's Advocate of the Year award at an event in Washington later this month, the group announced Friday.
Saylor, of New Market, advocated for her son Ethan all his life, but took on a new role after his death.Ethan Saylor, 26, died in January 2013 while he was being forcibly removed from a Frederick movie theater by three off-duty sheriff's deputies.
Since Ethan Saylor's death, Patti Saylor and her family have advocated for changes in police training and for better inclusion policies, among other things.
“I'm very honored,” Patti Saylor said Friday about the award. “I think the night will be a little difficult. It will be bittersweet because of the reason.”
In September, Gov. Martin O'Malley created the Maryland Commission for Effective Community Inclusion of Individuals with Intellectual and Development Disabilities in response to Saylor's death.
The commission aims to improve first responder training and will recommend statewide training standards.

Documentary describes the events surrounding Ethan Saylor’s death and the actions taken by Gov. O’Malley of Maryland.

by Ed Rhodes from Kickstarter.com:
Ethan Saylor son of Patricia and Ronald, brother to Emma and Adam had a passion for everything good guy.
On January 12th 2013 Ethan and his aide attended a screening of Zero Dark Thirty at the Regal Cinemas in Frederick MD. After the movie was over Ethan was waiting for his aide to pull the car around. Ethan decided he wanted to stay for a second viewing and walked back into the theatre. After Ethan was approached by the theatres management, security was called and asked to remove Ethan from the theatre because he had not bought a ticket for the second show. Three Frederick county sheriffs moonlighting as security guards responded and through their negligent behavior, lack of training and patience Ethan would soon lay dead on the theatre floor.
A grand jury decided the deputies would not be criminally charged. No one thinks they meant to kill Ethan, but what happened can't be changed or fixed. What we can change is how to prevent this from happening again.

Dismissal motion says Md. man with Down syndrome was trespassing when he died in custody

by David Dishneau from the Daily Journal:
HAGERSTOWN, Maryland — A man with Down syndrome who died in the custody of three Frederick County sheriff's deputies contributed to his own asphyxiation by resisting arrest after refusing to leave a theater seat for which he had not paid, the officers said in a federal court filing Monday.
The deputies, who were moonlighting as mall security officers, asked a judge to dismiss a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Robert Ethan Saylor's parents, contending that they, too, were at fault for putting their son in the care of an aide who couldn't control his angry outbursts.
The motion, filed in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, is the first detailed response from the deputies to the family's allegations that the officers and Regal Cinemas Inc. were grossly negligent in the Jan. 12 confrontation at the Westview Promenade shopping center near Frederick.
The officers were cleared of criminal misconduct by a Frederick County grand jury in March. They and Knoxville, Tennessee-based Regal have denied any civil liability for Saylor's death.
Saylor, who had an IQ of 40 and weighed 294 pounds, died with a fractured larynx after the deputies tried to escort him in handcuffs from an auditorium where he was awaiting a repeat viewing of "Zero Dark Thirty." Saylor had re-entered the theater while his aide went for her car. The theater manager had summoned the deputies.
Baltimore attorney Daniel Karp, representing Lt. Scott Jewell, Sgt. Rich Rochford and Deputy First Class James Harris, wrote that the deputies responded reasonably to an apparent case of trespass and theft by a subject who then resisted arrest.
"His decision to struggle with the deputies when they seized him by the arms to forcibly remove him from the theater clearly exposed him to a risk of injury," Karp wrote.
He suggested that Saylor's parents, Patricia and Ronald Saylor, had a duty to either supervise their son appropriately in public places or delegate that responsibility to someone "who would be able to control him adequately, so that he did not engage in conduct detrimental to other persons or to himself, including criminal conduct."

State panel begins work after Maryland disabled man’s death in police custody

from the Washington Post:
FREDERICK, Md. — The death of a man with Down syndrome in the custody of sheriff’s deputies has helped inspire a new Maryland commission to improve interactions with people with developmental disabilities.
Special Olympics Chairman Timothy Shriver said Monday that Robert Ethan Saylor’s legacy will live on through the commission’s work.
Gov. Martin O’Malley created the new Maryland Commission for Effective Community Inclusion of Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities after Saylor’s death. It includes state public safety officials, prosecutors, police agencies and advocates for people with disabilities. The first meeting was Monday.

Parents sue deputies in death of man with Down syndrome at Maryland movie theater

By M. Alex Johnson, Staff Writer, NBC News:

Saylor's full-time aide told investigators that she warned the deputies that the 294-pound Saylor, who used a wheelchair, would "freak out" if they touched him.The parents of a man with Down syndrome on Thursday filed suit against three Maryland sheriff's deputies for causing his "violent, terrifying, and painful death" as they tried to remove him from a movie theater early this year.Robert Ethan Saylor, 26, of New Market, Md., asphyxiated on Jan. 12 after the three Frederick County deputies, who were moonlighting as mall security officers, dragged him out of the theater in handcuffs and restraints.

For families, time to come together at Buddy Walk

by Danielle E. Gaines from the Frederick News-Post: 
For the Jones family, Saturday's Buddy Walk was a family reunion in more than one way.
“We come back every year. We've seen the same friends each year. We've seen the kids grow from young children into teenagers,” said Wallace Jones, of North Wales, Pa.
His has been meeting at the walk for the last 11 years, starting with the birth of his daughter, Hailey, who has Down syndrome.
On Saturday, Wallace gathered with his wife, Tina, all three of their children, his parents from New Castle, Del., and his sister Waynet Jones, who lives in Frederick.
“We all come together here,” said Waynet Jones, who is a board member of F.R.I.E.N.D.S., the locally based Down syndrome advocacy group that has organized the walk for the last 12 years.

Ethan Saylor petition with 340,000 signatures presented to MD Governor

from ABC 2 News:
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The family of Ethan Saylor presented a petition to the governor Thursday containing 340,000 signatures in support of launching an investigation into his death.

Ethan Saylor was a 26-year-old man with Down's Syndrome. He died while in police custody at a movie theater in Frederick. Three off-duty Frederick County Sheriffs working at the movie theater intervened when Saylor refused to leave the theater after seeing the film Zero Dark Thirty.

NDSS, NDSC, Saylor family & Maryland legislator deliver petition to MD Governor

 

 

NDSS & NDSC Update: National Down Syndrome Organizations to Join Saylor Family and Maryland Delegate Mizeur to Deliver 338,000 Signatures to Maryland Governor O’Malley this Thursday

On Thursday, September 5, 2013, Patti, Ron and Emma Saylor, mother, father and sister of Ethan Saylor, and representatives of the National Down Syndrome Society and National Down Syndrome Congress along with Maryland Delegate Heather Mizeur will deliver a change.org petition with over 338,000 signatures to Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley at the State House.  A press conference is planned for 10:30 AM ET at Lawyer’s Mall across from the Maryland State House.

This petition authored by Emma Saylor calls for an independent investigation by Governor O’Malley into the death of Ethan Saylor at the hands of off-duty Frederick County police officers who were moonlighting as security officers at a movie theater in a mall in Frederick, Maryland.

As our constituents will recall, Ethan had attended the movie Zero Dark Thirty that evening and would not leave the theater because he wanted to see it again. An internal investigation cleared the officers of any wrongdoing.  Governor O’Malley has the authority, under the Maryland constitution, to pursue an independent investigation into the tragic death of Ethan Saylor.

Join Us at the Press Conference:

The press conference will be held on Thursday September 5, 2013 10:30 AM ET in Lawyer’s Mall, right across the street from the steps of Maryland State House located at: 100 State Circle, Annapolis, MD 21401. For more information, please contact Ginny Sessions at gsessions@ndss.org or (202) 465-3221.

Sign the change.org Petition:

NDSS and NDSC are encouraging advocates and members of the Down syndrome community to sign Emma Saylor’s change.org petition at: http://www.change.org/justiceforethan.

Robert Ethan Saylor Petition on Change.org Gains More than 300,000 signatures

by Debra Alfarone from WUSA 9 CBS:
The movement is picking up steam, and now, more than a quarter of a million people are behind a Frederick woman's fight for justice for her dead brother.

Emma Saylor launched a change.org petition asking for an independent investigation into the death of her brother, Robert Ethan Saylor, a man with Down Syndrome who died in January after being detained by police. As of Thursday night, that petition had more than 312,000 signatures. 

Ethan Saylor died after an altercation with three off-duty Frederick County sheriff's deputies over a $12 movie ticket at a Frederick movie theater in January. Almost 8 months later, his family, including his sister, Emma, are struggling to find their new normal, "Kinda lost, I mean, there really isn't anything else to say about it other than he's my brother, I just want to know what happened."

Death of man with Down syndrome investigated by Department of Justice

DC News Weather Sports FOX 5 DC WTTG

From My Fox DC:
The Department of Justice is now investigating the death of a Maryland man with Down syndrome who died while in police custody.

The incident happened in Frederick back in January.

Investigators want to know if 26-year-old Robert Ethan Saylor's civil rights were violated.

Three off-duty Frederick County Sheriff's Deputies forcibly removed Saylor from a movie theater when he snuck back in without paying.

Saylor died of asphyxiation after being handcuffed.

Read more: http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/22899374/death-of-man-with-down-syndrome-investigated-by-department-of-justice#ixzz2a00ZeQDU

Mom of Man with Down syndrome talks about his death in Maryland Cinema

by Jeremy Meyer from The Denver Post:
Ethan Saylor simply wanted to see a movie one more time.
The Frederick, Md., man had just watched "Zero Dark Thirty" in a theater inside a mall and wanted to see it again.
Saylor, 26, had Down syndrome — a genetic condition that impairs physical growth and intelligence. His condition was likely apparent to the off-duty sheriff's deputies working at the mall on Jan. 12 who were called to remove Saylor because he hadn't paid for another ticket. But those deputies clearly didn't know how to help Saylor work through the issue.
Saylor's aide told them to wait it out. His mother was on the way and he just needed some time. She warned them not to touch Saylor, who could quickly become agitated.
Saylor's mother now believes her son was desperately trying to use his iPhone to figure out how to buy another movie ticket. He didn't carry cash.

Questions haunt family of man with Down syndrome who died in police custody

by Theresa Vargas from The Washington Post:
He was crying out for her.
“Mommy!” someone heard Ethan Saylor scream as three off-duty Frederick County deputies yanked the 26-year-old with Down syndrome from a movie theater seat and dragged him, struggling, toward the door.
Patti Saylor was already in the car on her way to the Regal Westview cinema after getting a call from her son’s 18-year-old aide, saying she was unsure what to do. They had just finished watching “Zero Dark Thirty,” and now Ethan didn’t want to go home. He had hit a Lenscrafter store’s window in protest.
Patti was maybe five minutes away when she called the aide, expecting to hear that Ethan had already calmed down, that the two were fine and eating at McDonald’s. Instead, she was told that Ethan was unconscious, not breathing and on his way to the hospital.
Only this week — after the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office released long-awaited documents detailing its investigation into Robert Ethan Saylor’s death Jan. 12 at the hands of its deputies — would his mother read the witness statements describing how her son had called out for her in his last moments.

Sheriff's Lawyer: Man With Down Syndrome Was Trespassing

from WBAL.com:

A man with Down syndrome who died in police custody in a Frederick movie theater was trespassing when he refused to vacate a seat for which he had not paid, a lawyer for the Frederick County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday.

Baltimore attorney Daniel Karp said the three deputies who restrained Robert Ethan Saylor took action based on their training and their perception of the situation.

"The management didn't want him there without paying for a ticket. That's trespassing. That's a crime. Not a big crime, maybe - but that's a crime," Karp said in a telephone interview.

Aide to man with Down syndrome who died in theater had warned police, report says

from the Washington Post by Theresa Vargas:
Moments before off-duty Frederick County sheriff’s deputies tried to force a young man with Down syndrome out of a movie theater — a move that eventually led to his death — Robert Ethan Saylor’s 18-year-old aide warned them that he would “freak out” if they touched him.
“Next thing I know, there are I think three or four cops holding Ethan, trying to put him in handcuffs,” the aide told authorities, according to documents from the Frederick County Sheriff’s Department obtained Monday by the Associated Press. “I heard Ethan screaming, saying ‘ouch,’ ‘don’t touch me,’ ‘get off’ and crying. Next thing I hear is nothing.”

What happened to Robert Ethan Saylor?

by The Editorial Board from The Washington Post:
WITH EVERY passing day, the appearance grows that Frederick County officials, especially the sheriff, Charles Jenkins, have something to hide in the case of a man with Down syndrome who died in a scuffle with law enforcement officers.
The movie-theater confrontation between Robert Ethan Saylor and off-duty sheriff’s deputies over an unpaid $12 movie ticket occurred nearly six months ago. There has still been no adequate public accounting of the events surrounding this senseless incident, which was ruled a homicide resulting from asphyxia.
Mr. Jenkins promised transparency, vowing that “all the facts will be presented when the investigation is complete.” What can he be waiting for?

National Down syndrome advocates press for independent inquiry into Md. man’s custody death

from the Washington Post by the Associated Press:
National advocates for people with Down syndrome said Tuesday they are pressing for an independent investigation into the death of a man who suffocated while three security officers were trying to forcibly remove him from a movie theater.
The National Down Syndrome Congress and the National Down Syndrome Society said they have met twice with U.S. Justice Department officials about the Jan. 12 death of Robert Ethan Saylor, 26, of New Market. Saylor had Down syndrome.
Officials from the agency’s criminal and civil-rights divisions said on Monday that they need more information before deciding how to proceed, the advocacy groups said.
The executive director of the National Down Syndrome Congress said the officers caused Saylor’s death.
“Ethan did not die because he had Down syndrome. Ethan died because he was improperly restrained by three police officers,” said David Tolleson.

4/22 meeting with Dept of Justice about Robert Ethan Saylor & Town Hall 4/23

from the NDSC and NDSS:

NDSC and NDSS want to see justice served in Robert Ethan Saylor’s case and increase awareness and accountability by police departments across the country to prevent another tragedy from occurring.
To address the civil rights violation in Ethan’s case, NDSS and NDSC, with F.R.I.E.N.D.S. of Frederick County and Ethan’s mother, Patti Saylor, will meet with the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Civil Rights next Monday, April 22.  Our organizations will continue to demand an independent inquiry, as we have done to date.

Our organizations also believe that training materials for police departments across the country will enhance efforts to prevent another tragedy through education and better understanding.  NDSC and NDSS are developing and disseminating training materials for law enforcement and first responders that will address specific health and behavioral concerns associated with people with Down syndrome.  If individuals or affiliates would like to share materials once they are completed, please e-mail susan@ndsccenter.org.

NDSS and NDSC will also co-host a town hall meeting on Tuesday, April 23, at 12:00 PM ET.  All are encouraged to attend to hear more and attendees will have the opportunity to voice questions and concerns.  You can join the Town Hall by dialing 1-877-410-5657 and using the following passcode:  69126.

As we continue our efforts, we encourage advocates to sign the petitions at change.org and whitehouse.gov.    We will continue to provide updates as they are available.