image description

Maryland Police Reform Bill Becomes Law; Heated Debate Likely to Continue

April 12th, 2021 by WCBC Radio

As expected, Maryland lawmakers voted on Saturday to override Governor Hogan’s vetoes of three far-reaching police reform measures that supporters say are needed to increase accountability and restore public trust. Republicans, such as Justin Ready of Carroll County, are warning about the possible unintended effect of the new laws… 

Democrats, including Shelly Hettleman of Baltimore County, say the reforms will protect the public from what she described as a long-standing departmental culture of silence and a virtual absense of accountability for police misconduct…

Maryland approved the nation’s first Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights in 1974, and becomes the first state to repeal such a law, replacing it with new procedures that give civilians a direct role in the police disciplinary process.