BERLIN, Md. - The Town of Berlin has announced the upcoming retirement of Chief of Police Arnold Downing after 34 years of service with the Berlin Police Department.
According to Berlin officials, Downing began his career with the police department in August of 1991. He was later appointed as Acting Chief in 2000 and officially appointed as Chief of Police in 2002. Downing became the first African American administrator and first African American Chief of Police in the history of the Berlin Police Department.
During his tenure, officials say Downing oversaw the department’s SWAT operational capacity growth, the addition of five K9 units, a drone unit, a Defensive Tactics Instruction Team, a new speed camera program, and numerous other expansions. A new Berlin Police Station was also opened in 2018 under Downing, preparing the department for further growth and modernizing local public safety infrastructure, according to officials.
Downing was also a founding member of the Worcester County Child Advocacy Center and served as a board member of the Worcester Youth and Family Counseling Services.
“I’m proud of the advocacy work for abused and neglected children in Worcester County that I have been allowed to assist in accomplishing,” Downing said. “The development of a community policing approach that fostered partnerships and mutual respect was highlighted annually with the Tri-County’s best National Night Out. I am also proud to have assisted with obtaining a crosswalk at US Route 113 and Bay Street and helping to change the light sequence to create a safer intersection.”
“Chief Arnold Downing has dedicated his career to protecting and uplifting the people of Berlin. His commitment to community-centered policing, officer wellness, youth advocacy, and public safety has left a lasting mark on our town,” Berlin Mayor Zack Tyndall said of Chief Downing’s retirement. “We are a stronger, safer, and more connected community because of his leadership. On behalf of the Town of Berlin, I want to express our deepest appreciation for Chief Downing’s decades of service and his unwavering dedication to our citizens and officers. We wish him the very best in his well-earned retirement.”