There's a new plan to give the public a bigger voice in police misconduct cases in Montgomery County, Maryland.
The county council unanimously approved the creation of a nine-member civilian review board on Tuesday. The board’s job would be to review police misconduct complaints and provide civilian oversight.
Montgomery County Council president Gabe Albornoz sponsored the legislation at the request of County Executive Marc Elrich, according to a press release.
The board will “promote trust, impartiality and accountability in cases of police misconduct,” Albornoz said in the release.
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“It's about composing a structure for oversight and accountability so that our community can begin to rebuild trust in law enforcement," Councilmember Tom Hucker, a member of the Public Safety Committee, said.
The next step is to select the board members, who are set to serve three-year terms. The county executive will nominate members and the council will confirm them.
The board is expected to begin reviewing complaints in July 2023.
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Last year, the Maryland House passed an extensive police reform package that in part requires counties to create police accountability boards. These boards must receive police misconduct complaints and review outcomes of certain disciplinary matters, according to the Maryland Coalition for Justice and Police Accountability.
They will also appoint civilians to serve on a board that can administratively charge and recommend discipline for officers accused of misconduct, the group said.
