Equitable Policing Executive Order

Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski issued an executive order announcing the formation of the Baltimore County Workgroup on Equitable Policing, which will examine policing policies and practices, and make recommendations for ensuring equitable policing in Baltimore County.  

Executive Order

Whereas, making government accountable to all residents of Baltimore County is a central priority of this Administration; and

Whereas, in accordance with state law, the Baltimore County Police Department reports traffic stop data to the Maryland Statistical Analysis Center of the Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention on an annual basis; and

Whereas, for purposes of this reporting, a traffic stop is defined, with certain exceptions, as "any instance when a law enforcement officer stops the driver of a motor vehicle and detains the driver for any period of time for a violation of the Motor Vehicle Law"; and

Whereas, certain information is required to be reported for each traffic stop including the "race or ethnicity of the driver as … (i) Asian; (ii) Black; (iii) Hispanic, (iv) White; or (v) Other"; and

Whereas, the traffic stop data for 2018 concerning African American individuals does not necessarily establish bias or discrimination but is a cause for concern and merits a thorough examination; and

Whereas, Baltimore County has an interest in eliminating implicit or explicit bias in all aspects of policing;

Now, therefore, it is this first day of November, 2019, by the County Executive of Baltimore County, Maryland, ordered that the Baltimore County Workgroup on Equitable Policing shall be created and charged as follows.

Section I. Goal of the Workgroup

The Baltimore County Workgroup on Equitable Policing will make recommendations for bringing greater transparency and accountability around the issue of equity in policing.

Section II: Membership, Appointment, Terms of Office, Officers and Compensation of Members

1. Membership. The Baltimore County Workgroup on Equitable Policing shall consist of voting and non-voting members as determined by the County Executive.
2. Terms. The term of a member is one year. Members of the Workgroup shall receive no salaries but shall be reimbursed for all expenses necessarily incurred in the performance of their duties in accordance with appropriations approved by the County Council. All members of the Workgroup shall serve at the pleasure of the County Executive.
3. Chair. The Chair of the Workgroup shall be selected by the County Executive.

Section III. Meetings, Quorums

1. Meetings. The Baltimore County Workgroup on Equitable Policing shall meet at the request of the Chair as frequently as required to perform its duties, but not less than once every month.
2. Quorum. A majority of voting members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business and an affirmative vote of the majority of those present at any meeting shall be sufficient for any official action.

Section IV. Consultant

In accordance with Baltimore County Purchasing Law, the County Executive shall contract with a consultant with expertise in law enforcement, data and the impact of bias in policing. The consultant will work parallel to the Workgroup.

Section V. Duties and Responsibilities

The Baltimore County Workgroup on Equitable Policing shall perform the following duties:

• Review and analyze the data provided to the Maryland Statistical Analysis Center
• Collect and analyze additional data from the Police Department
• Where possible, analyze benchmarking data from other political subdivisions
• Review current written orders and manuals relevant to traffic and person stops
• Meet with command staff and officers in the Police Department to examine how current policing practices and principles may be influencing the data
• Review the training and supervision that Police Officers receive with respect to implicit bias and minimizing bias in policing
• Review national best practices with respect to bias-free policing, traffic and person stop practices and policies, training and supervision

Section VI. Public Input

1. Public Input Sessions. The Baltimore County Workgroup on Equitable Policing shall host two public input sessions to receive public comment on the issue of race-based traffic and person stops in Baltimore County. All members of the Workgroup will attend the sessions, which shall be conducted in a town hall format. There shall be one public input session on the east side of the County and one on the west side of the County.
2. Internet. The Workgroup shall create a webpage or email address to receive written comments from members of the public.

Section VII. Reports

1. Draft Report. The Baltimore County Workgroup on Equitable Policing shall issue a draft report and recommendations no later than July 2020, which shall be posted online for public comment.
2. Final Report. The Workgroup shall issue a final report no later than August 2020.

Section VIII. Staff Assistance

Staff assistance shall be provided by the Baltimore County Executive’s Office and the Baltimore County Police Department. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately according to its terms.