PHOTO CREDIT: Mary Ella Jourdak
Ensure Independent Investigatory Powers for Police Accountability Boards
The Maryland Police Accountability Act of 2021 directed all counties and Baltimore City to establish a Police Accountability Board (PAB) and Administrative Charging Committee (ACC). Despite strong community support, research, and best practices indicating that independent investigatory powers are critical functions of a community oversight board, no PABs in Maryland currently have this authority.
This result is primarily due to improper claims made by the Fraternal Order of Police about the authority local governing bodies must give these boards independent investigatory powers.
In 2025, the Maryland Coalition for Justice and Police Accountability will work to pass a bill to clarify that local governing bodies have the power to empower their PABs to issue subpoenas, interview witnesses, and employ all other investigative techniques necessary to draw accurate conclusions about incidents, and to investigate claims prior to ACC adjudication and after.