Maryland Lawmakers Vote for Police, Prosecutor Accountability
The Maryland House of Delegates has approved a bill creating a trial board for state police agencies and a task force to study how state prosecutors handle cases as part of a sweeping measure to increase accountability.
Landwebs
The Maryland House of Delegates has voted to approve a bill that creates a trial board for state police agencies, prohibits collective bargaining from affecting the disciplinary process, creates a task force to study how state prosecutors handle cases, and requires the Maryland State Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy to collect and publish data about the sentences handed down in circuit courts across the state, reports the Washington Post.
The House also removed a provision included in the Senate bill that would have delayed the creation of police accountability boards intended to give residents a role in the review and investigation of police-misconduct allegations. Police departments in some Maryland counties have collective bargaining agreements that expire in June, and an extension could allow them time to sign a new agreement and not be required to adhere to the new law. In addition, the legislature passed a separate measure that creates a mechanism for tracking statewide gun crime data and classifies theft of a firearm as a felony and increases penalties for using a gun during a drug deal.
