The task force created by the Prince George's County executive to help reform the police department submitted its report of recommendations Friday.
County Executive Angela Alsobrooks assembled the task force in July. The chief had just stepped down, a corporal was facing murder charges for shooting a handcuffed man and another officer was recorded beating a handcuffed man.
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“The truth is that we need some other reforms to happen because if I came to my job and I kicked and punched somebody, I'd be fired,” Alsobrooks said at the time.
Maryland Del. Alonzo Washington, D-District 22, helped lead the task force through almost six months of examining every aspect of the police department.
“We drastically need change … we have challenges in our police department,” he said.
The report has more than 100 pages. Among its 80 recommendations are:
- A new office of integrity and compliance to create independent oversight the department doesn't have now,
- Establishing county residency incentives for officers,
- Use of force and anti-racial bias training,
- The creation of a mobile crisis team
- And the phasing out of public school security personnel.
“The school system is spending $17 million a year on security personnel to arrest our students,” Washington said.
The report also recommends:
- Eliminating record expungement for officers,
- Increasing punishment for racial bias,
- Providing better mental health support for officers,
- Making officer discipline records public information
- And establishing a duty-to-intervene policy so officers stop and report bad cops.
Washington said the committee's work is done and the rest is up to the citizens of the county.
“The onus and responsibility is now on the people of Prince George’s County to really continue to demand change and fully implement these 80 recommendations that were made by this task force,” he said.
The county executive released a statement saying she's reviewing this report to see what recommendations can be implemented and under what timeline. She says she may have a response to the report by late January.
The task force not only made police reform recommendations for the county executive, but also to the county council and the Maryland General Assembly.
