On Baltimore police control, residents urge city council to cross finish line (WMAR)

November 29, 2023

For the longest time - to be specific, more than a hundred years - the state of Maryland has had control over the Baltimore Police Department. The gears are in motion to change that.

Baltimore’s new police oversight system launches, reviewing 395 internal cases in less than 5 months (Baltimore Sun)

November 3, 2023

Baltimore’s new five-member board tasked with examining police misconduct files has reviewed 395 cases since launching in June — and expects that number to rise to 413 by the end of this week.

BPD police accountability board gives update on investigation reviews (WMAR)

November 2, 2023

Once a week dozens of police misconduct investigations are reviewed by a group of city residents.

‘The People’s Council’ must allow independent review of police misconduct (Maryland Matters)

September 20, 2023

OpEd by Beverly John and Yanet Amanuel

After new members were elected to the Prince George’s County Council last fall, the council dubbed itself “The People’s Council.” We’ll believe it when we see it.

Baltimore is again in charge of its police. But the legislature has left a gray area that could invite legal challenges. (Baltimore Sun)

April 17, 2023

Supporters of local control of the Baltimore Police Department agree that the city’s elected officials, not the state’s, should be the ones with the ability to pass laws governing the law enforcement agency.

Mayor Scott and Several City Senators Kill Local Control Bill

April 13, 2023

Press Release, Campaign for Jobs, Safety, and Justice

City Council to work with Campaign for Justice, Safety & Jobs to legislate reforms to BPD.

Maryland Lawmakers Pass Bill Barring Weed Odor As Probable Cause For Searches (High Times)

April 13, 2023

The Maryland House of Delegates has approved a bill that reduces the penalties for public cannabis consumption and bars police from using the odor of marijuana as the basis for the search of an individual or auto.

Md. lawmakers pass bill to bar police stops, searches based on smell of marijuana (Daily Record)

April 12, 2023

The smell of marijuana will no longer be enough to justify a police stop or search under a bill that Maryland lawmakers passed with just minutes to spare on the last day of their legislative session this week.

The bill, which still needs a signature from Gov. Wes Moore to become law, would go into effect on July 1, the same day that recreational cannabis is set to become legal in Maryland.

New Bill Prohibits Traffic Stops Based Solely on Smell of Cannabis (Montgomery County Media)

April 11, 2023

The Maryland General Assembly passed a bill Monday night prohibiting law enforcement officers from using the smell of cannabis as the only reason for stopping a vehicle. 

This bill was strongly supported by various racial justice organizations across the state for its ability to reduce racially profiled traffic stops, which typically involve cannabis.

Statewide Coalition Demands Marijuana “Exclusionary Rule” to Stop Racial Profiling By Police

April 4, 2023

Press Release, MCJPA

The Maryland Coalition for Justice and Police Accountability (MCJPA) calls on leaders in the General Assembly to bring up for a vote in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee and then pass House Bill 1071 with a clear “exclusionary rule” that would ban police from using evidence obtained from a stop or search based solely on the odor of marijuana. HB 1071 prohibits police from conducting stops and searches based on the odor of marijuana. But without a clear “exclusionary rule,” the bill will not effectively deter police from violating this important new rule of law.

A new fight over local control is brewing: How much control should Baltimore have over its police force? (Baltimore Sun)

March 9, 2023

After Baltimore residents overwhelmingly voted in favor of the city having control of its police department last November, debate swirled early this year around the timeline of formalizing the city’s authority.

Advocates came out in force against a proposed delay — and appear to have gotten their way.

Local control advocates reject new compromise limiting Baltimore City Council authority over police department (Baltimore Banner)

March 1, 2023

A last-minute effort to shield some of the powers held by Baltimore’s police commissioner from City Council legislation was rejected by a coalition of police reform advocates on Tuesday, representing the latest roadblock in a years long effort to shift control of the police department under city government.

Anton’s Law faces attack on two fronts (WMDT)

March 1, 2023

Anton’s Law, requiring police to disclose internal affairs documents as part of records requests is facing attacks both in court and in the state legislature. In court, a recent lawsuit is still pending between the Rockville FOP and the MD ACLU on a request for records for an officer, with the FOP suing to shield the records in what the MD ACLU believes is a violation of Anton’s law.

The FOP also pushed to have the court case sealed, but a judge recently rejected that appeal, ruling the case will proceed publicly, with legal documents available to the public, with redactions.

Baltimore City Council, advocates seek faster implementation of local control of police: ‘Sometimes you just have to move’ (Baltimore Sun)

February 22, 2023

Members of the Baltimore City Council and police accountability advocates publicly pressured members of Mayor Brandon Scott’s administration to speed up their implementation of local control of the city’s police department.

The pleas came during a meeting of the council’s Public Safety and Government Operations committee to discuss legislation before the Maryland General Assembly to move the process forward.

City Council, activists push mayor to complete local takeover of police department this year (Baltimore Banner)

February 22, 2023

The deadline for delivering local control of Baltimore’s police force — expected this year — remains unclear, despite a 2021 state law approving the change and a ballot measure overwhelmingly approved by voters last November.

Voters approved local control of the Baltimore Police Department in November. Activists and some council members are asking what’s the hold up?(Baltimore Fishbowl)

February 22, 2023

Months after Baltimore voters overwhelmingly approved that the police department come under local control, a legal issue in the Maryland General Assembly has delayed its full implementation. Now activists and several council members say the delays must come to an end.

The voters have spoken: Put Baltimore’s police department back in the city’s hands now, not next year.(Baltimore Sun)

February 6, 2023

OpEd by Ray Kelly, Ralikh Hayes, and Lauren Kelleher, from the Campaign for Justice Safety and Jobs

Horrifying footage of the brutal killing of Tyre Nichols by the Memphis Police has once again underscored the need to overhaul policing across the nation — including right here in Baltimore City.

The most immediate action we can take is clear: Put control of the Baltimore City Police Department (BPD) back in the hands of our city’s elected officials. Despite the clear choice of voters this fall to amend Baltimore City’s charter to do just that, our City Council still does not have the power to regulate its own police department, and Mayor Scott’s administration seems poised to delay it.

Opinion: Baltimore County Police subvert Anton’s Law, accountability objectives (Baltimore Banner)

January 3, 2023

By Lorena Diaz, Niesha McCoy and Nicholas Smith, members of the Baltimore County Coalition for Police Accountability

New department policy runs counter to law to hold police accountable for use of lethal force.

Anton’s Law grew out of public outrage about the use of lethal force by police officers in Maryland, particularly the brutal killing of Anton Black, an unarmed Black teenager, by Officer Thomas Webster IV on Maryland’s Eastern Shore on Sept. 15, 2018. Anton was a father and a star athlete, loved by his family and friends. He had a bright future.