Executive Order 2020-012

EQUITABLE POLICING ADVISORY GROUP

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 addressing systematic challenges in policing that may lead to disparate outcomes for minority and underserved communities; and

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

Whereas, Baltimore County has an interest in improving relations between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve.

Now, therefore, it is this twenty eighth day of July, 2020, by the County Executive of Baltimore County, Maryland, ordered that the Baltimore County Advisory Group on Equitable Policing shall be created and charged as follows:

Section I. Goal of the Workgroup

The Baltimore County Advisory Group on Equitable Policing shall engage the County’s criminal justice stakeholders to advise and make recommendations for bringing greater transparency and accountability around the issue of equity in policing.

The Baltimore County Advisory Group on Equitable Policing shall continue to conduct regular meetings indefinitely until otherwise modified by Executive Order.

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

  1. Membership. The Baltimore County Advisory Group on Equitable Policing shall consist of voting and non-voting (ex-officio) members as determined by the County Executive.

  2. Terms. The term of a member is one year. Members of the Advisory Group 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 Advisory Group shall be selected by the County Executive.

Section III. Meetings, Quorums

  1. Meetings. The Baltimore County Advisory Group 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.

  3. Subcommittees. The Advisory Group may form subcommittees to focus on specific topics of review.

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 Advisory Group, through at least January 2021.

Section V. Duties and Responsibilities

The Baltimore County Advisory Group 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 and make recommendations with respect to: bias-free policing; traffic and person stop practices and policies; use of force policies; training and supervision; recruitment and hiring; community policing; citizen oversight systems; and internal/external officer complaint and disciplinary processes.

  • Make recommendations for ensuring increased data transparency with respect to complaints against officers, instances of use of force and traffic stop data.

Section VI. Public Input

  1. Public Input Sessions. The Baltimore County Advisory Group 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. The Advisory Group may conduct additional public input sessions as necessary.

  2. Internet. The Advisory Group shall create a webpage or email address to receive written comments from members of the public.

  3. Focus Group Interviews. The Advisory Group shall conduct focus group interviews with various stakeholder groups to include, but not limited to: faith-based groups; youth advocacy groups; immigrant advocacy groups; and frontline community police officers.

Section VII. Reports

  1. Draft Report. The Baltimore County Advisory Group on Equitable Policing shall issue a draft an initial report of findings and recommendations no later than October 2020, which shall be posted online for public comment.

  2. Report. The Advisory Group shall issue a report no later than December 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.

Issued under my hand this 28th day of July, 2020, effective immediately.

Signed:

John A. Olszewski, Jr., Baltimore County Executive

Attest:

Dawn Kile, Executive Secretary

Reviewed for Form and Legal Sufficiency and approved for Execution:

James R. Benjamin, Jr., County Attorney