County restores six gang‑unit positions after court ruling raises investigative workload

The Montgomery County Council voted unanimously on May 12 to restore six vacant positions in the Montgomery County Police Department—s gang unit to the FY26 recommended budget after a recent circuit court ruling increased the unit—s validation and court preparation workload.

The action came after the Public Safety Committee chair said the committee initially placed the eliminations on the reconciliation list but, following briefings from police leaders, moved to reverse that recommendation. "The gang validation requires investigators from the gang unit to compile all relevant information," Chief Hamada said, adding that "each validation packet takes approximately 80 hours of work for one detective." He said the recent ruling also requires an additional technical or peer reviewer for validation packets and that investigators assigned to validated cases must be present through lengthy trial preparation and hearings.

Council members emphasized the operational impacts on staffing and case processing when considering the motion. "Given this additional information, I'm going to make a motion to remove the elimination of the six sworn officer positions in the gang unit from the reconciliation list," the Public Safety Committee chair said before the motion passed unanimously.

Chief Hamada and other department leaders told the council the change in court practice increases labor hours for validations, likely requires enhancements to records and case‑management systems, and will generate further demands for staffing and possible training. Lieutenant Cody Fields and Assistant Chief Parker Lynn provided details on vacancy counts, hiring cadence and how new officers must be trained and oriented before they can provide testimony in complex gang cases.

Council members said they preferred lapsing positions temporarily rather than permanently cutting them, but committee members noted the FY26 lapse assumptions already reflect a large figure in personnel savings. Council members also discussed whether some positions could be lapsed for a short period rather than abolished; police leaders said training and courtroom readiness argue for hiring early so staff can acquire necessary experience.

The council also voted unanimously to restore six positions that had been proposed to be eliminated from the Montgomery Village Central Business District team (another 6 FTEs that the committee had sought to remove). Officials said the two decisions were taken with updated operational information and concerns about public safety and case continuity.

What the council decided: The full council removed the proposed elimination of the six gang‑unit positions from the reconciliation list and passed an amendment restoring those positions to the FY26 budget; the vote was unanimous. Council members asked police and OMB to continue reporting on vacancy, lapse and overtime projections so the council can monitor whether a future supplemental appropriation is needed.

Council discussion and next steps focused on timing for hiring, training requirements for investigators who will prepare validation packets and defend findings in court, and how the department will manage overtime and reassignments while filling the vacancies. Police leaders warned that even with hires the department may still need supplemental funding later in the fiscal year if overtime and hiring patterns diverge from current projections.