Another Lower Merion Cop Accused of Misconduct During Commissioners Meeting

For the second time in a month, a member of the public went before the Board of Commissioners on Wednesday night and accused yet another Lower Merion police officer of misconduct, and the Lower Merion Police Department of failing to properly address the issue after it was reported.

Lower Merion Township Police Superintendent Michael McGrath told Patch he was previously aware of the allegations, lodged by Kamal Kamara against Officer Robert Montgomery on behalf of his mother, Carolyn Kamara, of the 1400 block of Greywall Lane in Penn Wynne, at the board meeting.

"It had been looked at in the past,” McGrath said of the allegations against Montgomery. “I don't know when.  It will be reopened and reviewed."

McGrath was sitting in the audience during the meeting when Patch asked him about the allegations. He did not address the board.

Kamal Kamara and his mother initially stood at the podium together to address the Board of Commissioners, but they were asked to sit down and wait until the official public comment period switched to a discussion about non-agenda items.

When it was their turn to speak, Kamara went before the board alone and said he was there to alert the board to the “abusive and threatening behavior” of his mother’s neighbor, whom he identified as Montgomery.

Kamara alleged that Montgomery’s acts against his mother included lurking outside her windows in civilian clothing with a weapon; leaving sexual paraphernalia on her driveway; interfering with her security camera system; monitoring her comings and goings and her conversations within her home; and destroying her plants and shrubbery.

Kamara later told Patch that Montgomery was seen outside his mother’s window wielding a service revolver.

Carolyn Kamara reported the allegations against Montgomery to the Lower Merion Police Department and met with Police Commissioner McGrath, “but to no avail,” her son said.

“Commissioners, please know, that in a normal situation of two neighbors in disagreement over bad fences, Ms. Kamara would seek redress through mediation or civil court,” Kamal Kamara said. 

“But given the heinous nature of the actions inflicted against her by Mr. Montgomery, and Mr. Montgomery's employment as a police officer in this township, Ms. Kamara is requesting that the commissioners launch an inquiry into Officer Montgomery's actions, and an additional inquiry into why Officer Montgomery’s chain of command did not address the officer's behavior when alerted to the fact numerous times by Ms. Kamara and her legal counsel,” he said.

Later in the meeting, Commissioner Brian Gordon said that as a member of the Commission’s Police Committee, he wanted to say that the committee would look into the matter thoroughly.

Board of Commissioners President Liz Rogan said the entire Board of Commissioners, rather than the police committee, would investigate the accusations.

“There will be a thorough follow-up,” Rogan said.  “The integrity and proper functioning of the police department is extremely important to all of us.”

After the meeting ended, Rogan told Patch she was surprised by the allegations. 

“It was a total shock,” Rogan said. “I knew nothing about it. We’re going to investigate, and we’ll get some answers.”

The allegations made against Montgomery were the second time in less than a month that a member of the public has brought allegations of police misconduct to the Board of Commissioners at a public meeting and asked the board to investigate the matter.

At a May 18 board meeting, a Bryn Mawr woman told the board that a Lower Merion police officer, who she did not name, had sexually assaulted and stalked her. She also claimed that after she reported the incident to Lower Merion police, she was illegally detained and threatened by another police officer, who was a friend of the accused.