St. Mary’s County in Maryland is taking a different approach when it comes to holding police officers accountable for their actions, and some people are concerned that this approach may not serve the best interests of the community. Maryland’s Police Accountability Act, passed in 2021, was designed to ensure that police officers are held accountable when they do something wrong. During the August 15, 2024, meeting of the St. Mary’s County Police Accountability Board, members discussed how the county handles cases of police misconduct differently from other counties in Maryland. In St. Mary’s County, a police officer’s actions must meet all three specific criteria for misconduct before the case is reviewed by the Administrative Charging Committee (ACC). These criteria are: If the officer deprives someone of their rights under the Constitution or laws of the United States. If the officer breaks a criminal law. If the officer violates the rules or policies of their police department. The key difference in St. Mary’s County is that all three of these criteria must be met simultaneously for a case to be reviewed by the ACC. This contrasts with other counties in Maryland, where a case can be reviewed if it meets any […]
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