Marc Elrich Comments on MCPD Officer Indicted for Allegations of Jan. 6 Involvement

In his weekly message to the community, Montgomery county Executive Marc Elrich shared his thoughts on the Montgomery County Police Officer who was recently indicted for his involvement in the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol:

“I am very disappointed and quite frankly angry to learn that a suspended Montgomery County Police Department officer, Justin Lee, was indicted this week by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

At this moment, I have more questions than answers. As I understand from our police department, we had no previous knowledge about his activities. Throughout his interview, background, training and brief time as a sworn officer, we were not made aware that Federal investigators suspected his involvement in the insurrection. Lee was sworn in as a new officer in January of 2022.

When MCPD was made aware in July that Lee was being investigated by the DOJ, Chief Jones immediately and rightfully removed his police powers. Now that he has been indicted, Lee is currently suspended without pay pending termination.

On Jan. 6, the men and women of our police department responded bravely to assist law enforcement at the Capitol. To this day, we still have MCPD officers out on leave from injuries sustained on Jan. 6. It is shameful that Mr. Lee concealed his actions during the riot and attempted to work on the same side as officers that he allegedly attacked that day.

Moving forward, our police department is reviewing its background and polygraph procedures to ensure that the process and questions weed out anyone with insurrectionist ideology. An officer’s trustworthiness is their most important asset, both with the community and their fellow officers. It is evident that Lee failed the standard of trust we expect from MCPD officers.”