Maryland looks at ditching Police Officers’ bill of rights

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Maryland is moving ahead with their own version of “police reform” in preparation for the return of the legislature in January. While some of the measures under consideration will sound familiar and similar to steps being taken in other parts of the country, one of the steps recently endorsed by a legislative working group is a bit more blunt, to put it mildly. Maryland has long had a “bill of rights” for police officers (Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights, or LEOBR), similar to many other states. But the working group wants the state assembly to scrap it entirely. (Baltimore Sun)

The recommendation is one of several made Thursday by a House of Delegates work group and could form the basis of legislation that the General Assembly would consider when lawmakers return in January to Annapolis.

Some lawmakers and activists have homed in on the law for years as problematic, but efforts to repeal it have fallen short.

Thursday’s move appeared to be the first time a group of Maryland lawmakers endorsed repealing the law. The law spells out the disciplinary process for police, including affording officers accused of misconduct a five-day window before they must speak with investigators.

Anyone familiar with the political landscape in Maryland won’t be surprised to learn that the working group in question was composed of ten Democrats and four Republicans. Nine of the Democrats voted to scrap the LEOBR while all four Republicans and one Democrat (who used to be a sheriff) opposed the measure.

You can read the entire LEOBR here. Most of it is pretty basic, assuring officers the right to engage in political activity, to have secondary employment and to be free from retaliation by their superiors for exercising their rights. It also sets forth the rules for how investigations into potential misconduct by officers are conducted, including their rights to representation and reasonable interrogation conditions.

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For the most part, there’s nothing terribly remarkable in Maryland’s LEOBR, though I suppose there are a couple of items that could use a fresh look. The linked article mentions one of these, specifically the five-day grace period given to officers after they’re accused of misconduct before they have to speak to investigators. While that provision no doubt allows them time to work on and prepare their defense, it does project the impression that the police may be involved in some sort of coverup. It’s also more than most any civilian suspect is given, considering they can be questioned by the police as soon as they’re brought to the station, provide an attorney is present if requested.

So the approach described by the five group members who voted against this proposal sounds like the better option. They aren’t saying that the LEOBR has to stay exactly the same as it is now. They’re willing to consider individual modifications to the legislation if such are required. They just don’t want to throw out the entire package. Sadly, most of the Democrats appear to disagree. Good luck with your retention efforts in Maryland law enforcement if this plan and others like it are pushed through. Baltimore, along with the rest of the state, is already losing cops at an alarming rate. Treating them this way won’t be likely to stem the tide.

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Read the Original Article Here

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7 Comments

  1. All police in MD able to do so, should retire – let these morons fend for themselves

    They like to talk up diminishing the cops, but the first time one of them is robbed or assaulted (like that fool BLM leader was), they’re screaming for police

  2. Maybe the so-called legislators should be required to put on the uniform and be required to work all shifts for at least a month before they do anything else. They should walk in the same shoes as the officers, take the same chances, have the same backup, kiss the families as they leave, knowing that they might not be returning home. The Democrats are the biggest of all chickens, for the most part. they’re the biggest lairs and crooks.

    1. What, Democrats live under the rules they set for us “little people”?
      They’ll never do that and you know it. Put their own lives on the line instead of hiding behind private guards armed with weapons they want to deny the rest of us? You know they’ll never do that.
      Their efforts to “defund” police are part and parcel of their terror campaign to elect Biden and more Commies like Bernie and AOC.
      Let them make their mistake, and let them live with it.

  3. The problem with “let them make their mistake, and let them live with it.” Is then the rest of us will be caught up into their mess. I say let’s get them voted out and then bring appropriate charges against THEM for not doing their job. Which is supporting all the people instead of their buddies and special interest groups. Our country’s founders didn’t believe in socialism, that’s why we separated from Britain. Let’s get back to where we started. Criminals are treated as such, instead of being treated like they have the right to do their crimes against others without consequences. “They were/are such a good person!” Really??? Why the long criminal record? Let’s stand up for our police that are trying to do their jobs and put the criminals where they belong with their accomplices, their supporters of their rights. That way “We the People” take back our rights instead of giving them up to these commie socialists.

  4. Better Plan…

    The LEOs should scour the legislation passed in the last dozen years for VIOLATIONS OF OATH OF OFFICE by legislators, the executive branch, and all the bureaucracies.

    Toss in all the traffic tickets ignored by federal elected people and bureaucrats and other violations of Laws.

    Then file criminal charges and go for BLOOD!

    Their replacements will probably have better manners.

  5. They say that the 5 day grace period is a protection that the average citizen doesn’t have. WRONG!!!

    A citizen of the United States can state that they refuse to make any statements whatsoever, which is guaranteed by the US Constitution 5th Amendment – Right Against Self Incrimination.

    But a police officer isn’t afforded that right in disciplinary actions, and is required to respond and make a complete report or be terminated.

    The 5 day period is the amount of time psychologically and medically mandated to recall specific details that most certainly could and would be overlooked after any intense, life and/or death, high pressure situation officers are faced with daily.

    Unfortunately, police officers are sometimes subjected to abusive and improper procedures and conduct on the part of the very departments or agencies they serve.

    In a startling number of jurisdictions throughout this country, law enforcement officers have no procedural or administrative Internal Affairs standards whatsoever; in fact, officers can be, and frequently are, summarily dismissed from their jobs without explanation.

    Officers who lose their careers due to administrative or POLITICAL expediency will find it almost impossible to find new employment, especially in public safety.

    And once an officer’s reputation is tarnished by even a false accusation, is almost impossible to restore.

    A minimal level of procedural standards for police officers accused of wrongdoing is imperative, due to the potential harm to officers created by the lack of uniform standards, and the patently unfair disparity in rights afforded criminal suspects but not police officers are compelling reasons to have one standard set of internal investigation rules in place nationwide.

    The rules/standards do not protect the jobs of “bad cops” or officers unfit for duty.

    And the rules/standards do not afford police officers any greater rights than those possessed by every citizen of the United States; it simply reaffirms the existence of those rights in the unique context of the law enforcement community.

  6. Maryland police officers one and all take 30 days vacation. Then come back and put the snowplows on the trucks and scrape up the trash. With any luck all the political assholes will be in the trash. The good people can exterminate the terrorist. I wonder what skin tone that would be.

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