Three Bangor police officers posed for a photo while in uniform with a City Council candidate well-known for his neo-Nazi rhetoric despite a department policy that requires employees to be politically neutral.
The police officers are not facing disciplinary action after posing for a photo with City Council candidate Richard Ward, according to Sgt. Jason McAmbley, a spokesperson for the Bangor Police Department.
“We can’t knowingly participate in a campaign, we have to remain neutral,” McAmbley said when asked about the department’s policy.
Ward posted the photo to a Facebook page for his campaign on Sept. 12 with the caption, “Be a warrior for Christ and defend Free speech. Charlie Kirk will never be forgotten.”
Ward has displayed white supremacist symbols, including imagery of Adolf Hitler, and led an “it’s okay to be white” protest in Portland. He is pictured in the photo wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat.
The photo has sparked concern among Bangor residents that it seemingly shows members of the Bangor Police Department endorsing Ward, one of nine candidates running for Bangor City Council.
While “the administration is aware” of the photo, McAmbley said he didn’t think the three officers knew who Ward was at the time, adding that people frequently ask to take photos with police officers.
“When somebody says, ‘Hey, can I get a photo with you?’ because sometimes people just like a photo with a cop. … Yeah, we’ll take a photo with him,” he said.
But Ward said he informed the officers that he was a political candidate.
“I told them I was running for office, but it’s not like they were endorsing me or anything like that,” Ward said.
A second photo included in the same post shows Ward flying a black American flag, a symbol used by pirates in the 18th century that is sometimes associated with a “take no prisoners” mentality.
Ward said he took the photo while attending a vigil at the Joshua Chamberlain Bridge for Kirk, the conservative political activist who was assassinated earlier this month.
In another post about the event, Ward wrote, “Never backdown to left wing scum. It is War against Christians, whites and all that speak the truth.”
The Bangor police officers were at the waterfront working a concert detail, according to McAmbley. No waterfront concerts were scheduled for Sept. 12, although the Brick Church hosted a gospel music concert that night at 126 Union St.
Bangor’s city code states that city employees may not “participate in any political activity which would be in conflict or incompatible with the performance of their official functions and duties for the City,” although it does not specifically address whether taking photos with candidates for office while in uniform would be considered incompatible.
Maine law prohibits state employees from engaging in political activity while in uniform, and the federal Hatch Act has similar restrictions.
