August 13th, 2022 by WCBC Radio

WBAL reports greater transparency is needed before Maryland settles on any eligibility requirements regarding who can serve on local police accountability boards.  Advocates criticized regulations proposed by the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission for police accountability boards and administrative charging committees — part of sweeping police reforms approved last year by the Maryland General Assembly. Members of the Maryland Coalition for Justice and Police Accountability held a news conference in front of the State House to urge the legislature’s Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive, and Legislative Review to call a public hearing to give the public to chance to comment. They’re calling on lawmakers to further revise the proposed regulations before approval. Yanet Amanuel, public policy director for the ACLU of Maryland, said that in the law approved last year, state lawmakers recognized the importance of allowing local communities to determine their own membership-criteria requirements. Amanuel said those requirements should not be left to unelected members of a statewide police commission.