Contact: Meredith Curtis, ACLU of Maryland, 443-310-9946, media@aclu-md.org
Susana Flores, CASA, 301-379-7461, sflores@wearecasa.org

The following can be attributed to Maryland Coalition for Justice and Police Accountability, of which the ACLU of Maryland is a member:

"The coalition recognizes the positive votes today by the Maryland Public Safety and Policing Workgroup, which are an important start to allow for increased civilian participation in misconduct investigations, more transparency for the community and victims, and more robust training.   We appreciate the time and effort put in by the workgroup.  Nonetheless, there remain important areas that need improvement to ensure real accountability, especially in communities targeted by racially biased over-policing. Reforms that are still needed include lifting the restriction on who can file a police brutality complaint, lifting the restriction that only sworn law enforcement personnel may investigate complaints, and requiring that complainants identify themselves. In addition, we are concerned about a last-minute addition to the recommendations that would change the composition of the trial board to give the FOP a greater role in the discipline process."

Learn more about the MCJPA coalition: https://www.facebook.com/mdcje/

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