Baltimore Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III has thrust himself into a political campaign. It's no secret that he and State's Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy don't always (or ever) see eye-to-eye, but the top cop has put a sign in his yard (left) supporting her challenger in the Sept. 14 Democratic primary.

(Read Sun police reporter Justin Fenton's full story for more of the political back and forth)

He makes it clear he's doing this as Citizen Bealefeld, not Commissioner Bealefeld, but separating the two is more matter of semantics than reality. Should a top police official interject himself into the political fray? Will it complicate his efforts now, or in the future, should Jessamy win, and Gregg Bernstein loses?

All good questions. Cops in the past have gotten into trouble for wearing their uniforms in political ads, and Bealefeld's not doing this. But he has been increasingly vocal about his disdain for a judicial system (judges, prosecutors, probation officials and others) who continually feed the revolving door justice system in Baltimore.

It goes without fail that Bealefeld's cops arrest a criminal in a particularly horrible crime, as the stabbing of Stephen Pitcairn in Charles Village, and the suspects will have just gotten out of prison on probation for a violent crime for which they served little time.

Bealefeld and commissioners past have battled Jessamy over policing strategies, what arrests are sound and what are not, whether officers with troubled pasts can be put on so-called do-not-testify lists and how thoroughly cases need to be investigated before being charged.

Here is one part of Justin's story today:

Christopher Dreisbach, a professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education's Division of Public Safety Leadership whose focus includes law enforcement ethics, said Bealefeld as a citizen has a clear right to advocate for a candidate. He said he believes it's also Bealefeld's professional duty to advocate for the best interests of police.

"If they weren't adversarial, there might be a different issue at stake. … But I don't think he's giving anything away at this point," said Dreisbach. "Is he shooting himself in the foot? Possibly, but he has the right to do so, and [the consequences] will be determined down the road."