Police are not above the law! Demand Law Enforcement Officer's Bill of Rights in Marlyand be amended
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Police are not above the law! Demand Law Enforcement Officer's Bill of Rights in Marlyand be amended
The delay in convicting an officer for the killing of Freddie Gray is a direct result of a provision in the Law Enforcement Officer's Bill of Rights (LEOBR)- which places police officers above the law by protecting them from prosecution for misconduct. The Baltimore Sun reported that in a span of just 5 years, 100 Baltimore residents have won $5.7 million worth of settlements relating to police brutality and civil rights. It’s time for Maryland to take critical action to rein in police violence and abuse.
Maryland is one of 14 states that have a LEOBR as state law, but community protest in the aftermath of Freddie Gray’s killing -one in a long string of incidents of police brutality in Maryland- has pressured our state legislature to seek measures for police accountability. The current LEOBR provides a 10 day halt on investigating an officer who has been accused of using excessive force. It also prevents police from being disciplined by citizen review boards. Instead, police are only held accountable by a committee of fellow officers, but asking police to police themselves has shown to only embolden police brutality and lead to disastrous effects for Black communities.
Will you stand with me and other citizens of Maryland to demand Maryland’s Law Enforcement Officer's Bill of Rights is amended to provide true police accountability and equal protection under the law?
This is the statement we will send on your behalf to Delegate Joseph Vallario & Senator Bobby Zirkin:
Dear Delegate Joseph Vallario & Senator Bobby Zirkin:
I am writing to request that you create a more accountable and transparent police force by adopting the following amendments to the Law Enforcement Officer’s Bill of Rights (LEOBR):
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Completely eliminate the 10 day waiting period before an officer can be interrogated by a superior
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Include a prohibition against officers viewing written records by other officers that describe events in question
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Enable local jurisdictions to make their own decisions about how to create effective and meaningful civilian oversight of police (including the power to subpeona)
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Amended the Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) to allow Marylanders to learn how their complaints of police misconduct are handled
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Require police departments to recruit and retain officers that reflect the makeup of the communities they are sworn to serve
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Require officers to undergo continuous training to ensure that the highest measures of cultural competence are achieved. This includes, but is not limited to, training on racial and ethnic bias, implicit bias, and structural racism
Although the Maryland Public Safety and Policing Workgroup has compiled a list of suggested amendments to the LEOBR, these recommendations fall short of ensuring real accountability, especially in communities targeted by racially biased over-policing. The Baltimore Sun reported that in a span of just 5 years, 100 Baltimore residents have won $5.7 million worth of settlements relating to police brutality and civil rights. This number is heartbreakingly at the expense of our tax dollars.
I urge you to work toward saving Maryland lives and dollars by taking our demands into consideration in order to create impactful, transformative changes to the LEOBR.
Thank you,
[Your Name]