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Kent County ACC says most complaints are 'courtesy' issues; introduces legal adviser
Summary
At its June 4 meeting the Kent County Administrative Charging Committee heard a brief quarterly review from law enforcement leaders who said there was one formal case this year and recurring complaints about officers' manner; the committee also introduced Lawrence Scott, a former county attorney, as an adviser.
Kent County Administrative Charging Committee members met June 4 for a brief session in which law enforcement leaders reported what they called a small number of formal complaints and recurring “courtesy” concerns about officer interactions with the public, and the committee introduced an outside legal adviser.
Chief (name not provided), Chestertown police chief, told the committee he was not aware of any criminal brutality complaints for his agency and said most matters were procedural. “I know personally for us, there's not been a single brutality complaint or anything with regards to anything, you know, that could be considered a criminal violation,” the chief said. He added the most persistent theme he has seen is “the manner in which our employees sometimes speak to the public.”
That pattern has produced a small number of findings and several complaints that did not result in violation findings, the chief said, and in some instances the department concluded the matter reflected supervision gaps rather than deliberate misconduct. The chief said the agency examines each matter for training needs but that supervision has “risen to the top” as an issue and that the department will review specific cases in its end-of-year report.
The committee accepted the minutes from its prior meeting by voice vote early in the session. The body also scheduled its next monthly meeting for July 2, 2025, and voted to enter a closed session at the end of the open meeting.
The committee introduced Lawrence Scott, who described himself as the former county attorney in Cecil County and said he helped implement the state legislation establishing Police Accountability Boards (PABs) and Administrative Charging Committees (ACCs) there. “I was there when the legislation was passed by the legislature for the PAB and the ACC,” Scott said, and described his role as advising counties on implementation and on “what the law is and what the role of the PAB and the ACC are given, whatever complaints may come this way.”
Members offered brief comments and no public commenters addressed the committee during the open portion of the meeting. After the vote to close the public session, the committee met in closed session to consider matters allowed under the ACC’s rules.
The meeting opened at 3:34 p.m. on June 4 and lasted only a few minutes before the body moved into a closed session. The committee did not take additional public actions in the open meeting beyond accepting minutes and entering closed session.
