Baltimore County Issues Statement Ahead of Planned Demonstration
TOWSON, MD — Ahead of a planned demonstration, a spokesperson for Baltimore County today issued the following statement:
“This administration inherited the case following the tragic death of Ms. Gaines, and our focus now is on doing right by the family of Ms. Gaines and, in particular, her children. After years in court, the County made a significant offer to resolve this matter, which reflects the highest amount we believe the court may award under the law.
It’s important to clarify the facts, since there have been inaccurate or misleading public statements.
The officer who shot Ms. Gaines is no longer part of our police department.
The County Executive has taken unprecedented steps to reform policing in Baltimore County, advance equity and improve accountability, and it is disingenuous to suggest otherwise.
This administration created the County’s first comprehensive body worn camera release policy and is finishing the job to bring body worn cameras to all police officers. This administration identified and released concerning data to the public to strengthen transparency, and created an Equitable Policing Workgroup to examine that data and lead a community-driven effort to improve accountability. After the murder of George Floyd, this administration was the first jurisdiction in Maryland to advance police reform legislation, passing a ban on chokeholds among other meaningful reforms. And this administration built on all our work by supporting Speaker Jones’ landmark legislation in Annapolis, now hailed as a national model.
The County Executive reached out to Reverend Sharpton directly to ask to meet and discuss how we can continue to work towards our shared goal of advancing justice, because we recognize that our work remains unfinished.
Though we did not receive a response from Reverend Sharpton, this administration will continue the hard work of rebuilding trust, ensuring accountable policing, and building a more just and equitable future.”