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PS Item 2 October 1, 2020 Worksession MEMORANDUM September 28, 2020 TO

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PS Item 2 October 1, 2020 Worksession MEMORANDUM September 28, 2020 TO PS Item 2 October 1, 2020 Worksession M E M O R A N D U M September 28, 2020 TO: Public Safety Committee FROM: Robert H. Drummer, Senior Legislative Attorney SUBJECT: Expedited Bill 34-20, Police – Disciplinary Procedures - Police Labor Relations – Duty to Bargain - Amendments PURPOSE: Worksession – Committee to make recommendations on bill Expected attendees: Police Chief Marcus Jones Assistant CAO Caroline Sturgis Haley Roberts, County Attorney’s Office FOP President Torrie Cooke Expedited Bill 34-20, Police – Disciplinary Procedures - Police Labor Relations – Duty to Bargain - Amendments, sponsored by Lead Sponsors Councilmembers Riemer and Rice, and Co- Sponsors Councilmembers Jawando and Navarro, was introduced on July 21, 2020. A public hearing was held on September 22 with 11 speakers.1 Bill 34-20 would be known as the Police Accountability Act. Expedited Bill 34-20 would amend the disciplinary procedures for County police officers by requiring the use of a traditional hearing board under the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights (LEOBR), codified at §§3-101 to 3-113 of the Public Safety Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland. The Bill would also require two additional voting public members on a hearing board in a case originating from a citizen complaint alleging an excessive use of force and authorize the Chief of Police to issue a final order on employee discipline based on the recommendations of a hearing board. Finally, the Bill would exclude collective bargaining over the composition of a police hearing board, the right of the Chief to make a final decision on discipline, and the right of the Chief to issue a directive or administrative order implementing an employer right. Councilmembers Riemer and Rice explain their reasons for introducing Bill 34-20 at ©7- 8. The County Attorney’s Office concluded that there are no legal issues with the Bill. ©34-36. 1#PoliceAccountabilityAct Public Hearing There were 11 speakers at the public hearing providing a range of views. Police Chief Marcus Jones explained the Executive’s position. The Executive requested the Council to delay acting on the Bill to provide the Police Advisory Committee time to make recommendations and to wait to see if the General Assembly amends the LEOBR. Paulette Kee-Dudley, representing MCGEO (©14), Torrie Cooke (©15-17), Fraternal Order of Police President, Tara Merlo (©18), and Clint Sobratti (©19), each opposed the Bill because it would reduce the scope of collective bargaining for police officers. Jeffrey Rubin, Jews United for Justice (©20-21), Emil Parker, Takoma Park Mobilization (©22-23) and Stephanie Guttormson (©24-25) opposed the Bill arguing that it is fatally flawed because the LEOBR provides too much protection for police officers. Jo Saint-George, representing Women of Color for Equal Justice (©26-28) supported the Bill with amendments to increase citizen input into the police discipline system. Faith T. Blackburne, representing the Montgomery County NAACP, (©29), and Michael Marceau, Indivisible Montgomery (©30-31), each supported the Bill as a necessary measure to increase police accountability. David Martinsen (©32-33) also supported the Bill in written testimony. Issues 1. Should the Council modify the police disciplinary system? Each of the speakers at the public hearing acknowledged the national need for some type of police reform considering the tragic examples of police officers using excessive force on people of color in Wisconsin, Oregon, and Kentucky. The speakers had differing views on how the County should try to lessen the problem here. The Council recently enacted 4 bills that are intended to increase police accountability. Bill 1-19, Police – Officer Involved Death – Independent Investigation (Law Enforcement Trust and Transparency Act or LETT Act) requires an independent investigation of an officer involved death. Bill 14-19, Police – Policing Advisory Commission – Established, established a citizen led advisory commission to advise the Council on policing matters, Bill 33-19, Police – Community Policing, established minimum community policing guidelines, and Bill 27-20, Police – Regulations – Use of Force Policy, established minimum standards for a police use of force policy. Police accountability requires a fair and efficient disciplinary system to ensure that the police officers who have been given the unique authority to carry weapons and use force to protect and serve the public execute this authority in a fair and reasonable manner. A police officer who fails to do so must be subject to reasonable discipline, including termination. In Maryland, the discipline of a police officer is governed by the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights (LEOBR), codified at §§3-101 to 3-113 of the Public Safety Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland. The LEOBR was enacted by the General Assembly to provide law enforcement officers in Maryland certain procedural rights in disciplinary cases. In 1977, the General Assembly amended the LEOBR to expressly preempt alternate procedures for discipline under local law. One of the mandated uniform procedures was the right to a quasi-judicial hearing before a police trial board composed of three police officers selected by the Chief of Police with at least one officer at the same rank as the subject of the discipline. The General Assembly enacted laws in 1987 and 1988 2 amending the LEOBR to permit collective bargaining over police disciplinary procedures. The Governor vetoed both bills because it would erode the uniformity of the LEOBR system. In 1989, the General Assembly amended the LEOBR to permit collective bargaining for an alternate hearing board and the finality of the board’s decision. In Moats v. Hagerstown, 324 MD 519 (1991), the Court of Appeals held that the 1989 amendments to the LEOBR permitted a police officer to choose between the traditional hearing board and a collectively bargained alternate board and permitted finality of the board’s decision to be a subject of collective bargaining. In the County, an alternate hearing board was first added to the collective bargaining agreement with the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) in the agreement that took effect in 1996, but the final decision was still made by the Chief of Police. In 2006, the General Assembly amended the LEOBR again to permit interest arbitration over an alternate hearing board and the finality of the board’s decision. The Executive and the FOP bargained to impasse in 2007 and submitted the dispute to final offer by package interest arbitration. The arbitrator selected the FOP’s final offer that included making the decision of the alternate hearing board the final agency decision. For example, if the Chief recommends termination and the hearing board sustains the statement of charges against an officer but decides that a suspension is more appropriate, the Chief must accept that decision. Under the current FOP Agreement, the alternate hearing board is composed of one officer selected by the Chief, one officer selected by the union, and a private labor arbitrator jointly agreed upon by the Chief and the union. In 2016, the General Assembly authorized the addition of up to two voting or nonvoting public members on a traditional hearing board. However, this provision does not apply to a collectively bargained alternate hearing board unless the parties agree to add citizens. Expedited Bill 34-20 would move the County back to the traditional hearing board authorized by the LEOBR, including the additional public members for a case originating from a citizen complaint alleging excessive force. Under the LEOBR, if the Chief wants to increase the penalty recommended by the hearing board, the Chief must first meet with the officer to hear the officer’s position and the Chief must state his or her reasons for increasing the penalty on the record. The final decision would be subject to appeal to the Circuit Court on the record. 2. Do other local jurisdictions use an alternative hearing board? Chief Marcus Jones provided the following information on other jurisdictions (See the August 21 email from Chief Jones at ©37-39: This is a breakdown of how the other major Maryland jurisdictions handle hearing boards for their Police Departments. It should be noted that an officer usually has the option of choosing the alternate hearing board, or a traditional hearing board as provided for under the LEOBR: • Anne Arundel County: Has an alternate hearing board, which is chaired by a member of Police Management. The other two members of a hearing board are chosen from a blind drawing, with the option to strike several drawn names. The decision of the hearing board is not binding on the Chief. • Baltimore County: It is an alternate hearing board, chaired by a member of Police Management. It is similar to a traditional hearing board, but the charged employee can 3 strike two members of the board, excluding the chairperson. Their hearing is final in that it is binding on the Chief, but it is appealable to Circuit Court. • Baltimore City: Has an alternate hearing board of 5 people. Two are civilians chosen from a panel of those who have attended training, ride alongs, etc. The remaining three are either an Administrative Law Judge and two sworn officers, or just three sworn officers. One sworn officer is always of equal rank. The decision of the hearing board is a recommendation to the Commissioner. • Howard County Police: Has an alternate hearing board, which is chaired by a member of Police Management. The Chief of Police retains the final authority in the disciplinary process. • Prince Georges County: Is an alternate hearing board, chaired by a member of Police Management. It is similar to a traditional hearing board, but charged employees randomly select two names, via lottery, as their officer of equal rank. Their verdict is not binding on the Chief. The two key points from this survey is that none of these jurisdictions use an independent private labor arbitrator to make a final decision.
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