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Lawmakers eye giving Maryland AG prosecuting power in police shootings
The Maryland attorney general’s authority to investigate local police-involved slayings derives from a 2021 law sparked by the murder of an unarmed Black man in Minnesota, but the law needs a controversial expansion to achieve the goal of inspiring public confidence in the accountability of officers, the law’s supporters say. Sen. William C. “Will” Smith […]
Harford County sheriff ordered to turn over evidence in fatal police shooting
The Harford County Sheriff’s Office must cede its investigation into an April 23 police shooting to the Maryland Attorney General’s Office, a county judge ruled Thursday. The ruling is the first judicial test for a 2021 law that granted Attorney General Brian Frosh’s office the authority to investigate police-involved shootings. “There is a complete difference […]
Judges must avoid advice, talk of reform, in police training, ethics panel says
Judges who speak at police training sessions must stick to discussing the law and legal process and avoid topics related to testifying in court or the merits of police reform, the Maryland Judicial Ethics Committee stated this week. Providing information that could be perceived as courtroom advice to future police witnesses or as an opinion […]
Was the Texas Supreme Court bought?
Welcome to Monday, July 26, the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Here are some news items to get your week started. Did a Texas-sized donation change the state Supreme Court’s mind? Police reform laws sow confusion in Washington state. Virginia prisoners’ vaccinated family members voice disappointment at slow return to visits. Arizona […]
Legislators pass criminal justice reforms but not right to counsel
Spurred by the video-recorded slaying of an unarmed Black man and a global pandemic, a reform-minded 2021 General Assembly passed legislation on police and parole but fell short in efforts to provide low income tenants a right to counsel in eviction proceedings and having landlords underwrite the legal representation. In the session’s waning days, the […]
General Assembly overrides Hogan’s veto, enacts police reforms
The Maryland General Assembly on Saturday overrode Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto and enacted police reform proposals intended to curtail deadly and excessive force, limit the use of no-knock warrants and make the police disciplinary process subject to greater civilian oversight. The Senate and House of Delegate’s votes followed nationwide protests of police brutality that followed […]
Hogan vetoes police reform proposals; legislative leaders seek to override
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan Friday evening vetoed police reform proposals intended to curtail deadly and excessive force, limit the use of no-knock warrants and make the police disciplinary process subject to greater civilian oversight. The measures, however, passed both the Democratic-led Senate and House with sufficient votes to override the Republican governor’s veto. Votes to […]
Police reform’s passage draws Dems’ cheers, GOP jeers
Democratic legislators on Thursday basked in the General Assembly’s passage of police reform legislation to curtail deadly and excessive force and make the police disciplinary process uniform across the state and with greater civilian oversight. But their Republican colleagues – and the state’s GOP governor – voiced concern with legislation they believe adopted too much […]
General Assembly sends sweeping police reform legislation to Hogan
Maryland’s Democratic-led General Assembly on Wednesday gave final approval to a raft of police reform proposals to curtail deadly and excessive force, limit no-knock warrants and make the police disciplinary process uniform across the state and with greater civilian oversight. The Senate passed the measure on a primarily party line vote of 31-16; the House […]
Md. House approves police reform bill
The House of Delegates on Thursday night approved by a 96-40 vote a raft of police reform proposals to curtail deadly and excessive force, limit no-knock warrants and make the police disciplinary process uniform across the state and with greater civilian oversight. A group of delegates and senators will soon meet to try to hammer […]
Md. Senate passes police reform proposals; attention shifts to House
The Maryland Senate on Wednesday passed police reform proposals to curtail excessive force, limit no-knock warrants, prevent departments from acquiring military equipment, mandate body cameras, make the police disciplinary process transparent and uniform and empower the state prosecutor to investigate and prosecute killings by officers. With the Senate’s action, attention shifts to the House of [...]
Md. Senate debates allowing disclosure of police misconduct probes
The Maryland Senate took a step Tuesday toward passing legislation aimed at increasing public access to completed internal police investigations, as it narrowly defeated a proposal to ensure allegations of police misconducted deemed “unsubstantiated” would remain confidential. Sen. Jill P. Carter, the legislation’s chief sponsor, said the proposed carve-out for unsubstantiated complaints wou[...]
