On April 10, Maryland became the first state to repeal the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights (LEOBOR) as well as to enact new legislation concerning use of force by police and the investigation and discipline process for officers, among other things. This was done by the Democratic-majority state legislature in an overriding of Governor Larry Hogan’s vetoes against these measures. House Speaker Adrienne Jones was the sponsor of the bill to repeal LEOBOR. As reported in the Washington Post, Jones said that “Maryland is leading the nation in transforming our broken policing system.”
The new legislation includes mandated body cameras and a restriction on no-knock warrants. There is an establishment of civilian panels in the discipline of officers. Regarding this, the participation of a police chief has been retained, an aspect that some advocates oppose, pushing for complete civilian jurisdiction, as reported by the Washington Post. A very strict standard for use of force has been implemented, requiring a strong emphasis on initial de-escalation procedures, with a criminal penalty for officers who have been found to act with excessive force.
According to Greenbelt Police Chief Richard Bowers, “the department is working to assess the new laws and the impact it will have on the Police Department. There are a number of sections in the new law that require the Police Training Commission to provide the specific rules on how departments are expected to carry out these sections. Once we have those rules, the department will have a better understanding of the operational impacts.” Bowers said that “the main sections of the law do not kick in until July 2022.”
Councilmember Rodney Roberts felt that the new legislation is an important first step, yet stressed that greater emphasis should be put on police training in order to create officers better able to deal non-violently in situations and less prone to react with fear.
Mayor Colin Byrd said that “while the state’s police reform legislation was not perfect, the General Assembly’s repeal of the LEOBOR was, by and large, a good thing.” He felt that LEOBOR “was and is extremely unfair to civilians, especially people of color,” potentially leading to “mistreatment, brutality or excessive force” with “absolutely no fair process for justice or accountability.” He was grateful, he said, about the role of civilian panels in police discipline. He said that officers “should no longer have such a litany of extra rights that collectively place them above people without a badge.”
District 22 County Delegate Alonzo Washington said that, with the repeal of LEOBOR, “the state is moving toward increased accountability, transparency and civilian oversight.” He expected “an enormous impact” on the county, citing the 4,600 use-of-force incidents and 16 shootings by police in the last three years. He said that “accountability breeds responsibility” and hoped that this new legislation “will prevent further police violence and abuse that we have seen in our communities.”
County Councilmember Todd Turner said that this new legislation “will fundamentally shift the relationship between our police departments and the communities they serve.” He is assessing the potential policy and fiscal impacts on county police operations and said that “I look forward to working with my colleagues, the Alsobrooks administration and our new police chief in taking a leadership position on implementation of the new laws in the county and Maryland.”