Calvert County Police Accountability Board forwards ADA review, officer-on-officer complaint policy and creates trends committee; sheriff reports drop in overd­

The Calvert County Police Accountability Board on a unanimous voice vote approved two formal recommendations to the sheriffs office and created a small committee to analyze complaint trends, after hearing a summary of 2024 complaints and a quarterly report from the sheriff.

Board members were shown a year-end complaints summary that listed 30 complaints received in 2024, a drop from the prior year. Board members said 26 of the 30 complaints were reviewed by the Administrative Charging Committee (ACC); two complaints were deemed ineligible for ACC review for reasons such as being outside the boards jurisdiction. Board members said two cases were pending ACC review at the start of the year and that four cases referred for charging matched the findings in the sheriffs investigation.

The board moved and approved a recommendation that the sheriffs office conduct a periodic pre-audit review of the effective implementation of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) training and related procedures and forward any identified policy or training changes to the sheriffs office for action. The board also voted to treat complaints filed by one deputy about another deputys conduct—"officer-on-officer" complaints—as formal complaints subject to the same ACC review process unless the matter is resolved by internal mediation. Minutes and the vote were recorded on the motion but no individual mover or seconder name was given in the transcript.

Board members also agreed to form a three-member committee to analyze complaint trends over time. The committee will review historical complaint records going back to the programs early period (members discussed reviewing files from around July 2022) to identify repeat complaint types and any patterns that could support policy recommendations to the sheriffs office.

Calvert Countys sheriff presented the offices fourth-quarter report. The sheriff highlighted community outreach activities such as Toys for Tots and Shop With a Cop and said the detention center and policy reviews are being aligned with national accreditation standards through the American Correctional Association (ACA) process. The sheriff reported 26,327 calls for service in the fourth quarter, noted about 520 traffic-related incidents as a continuing concern, and said DUI arrests tend to spike in the fourth quarter around holidays and again in summer months. He also said overdose incidents have declined and credited wider availability of naloxone (Narcan) carried by deputies for saving lives.

On school safety, the sheriff said the office is aiming to place a deputy in every school by the end of his term and that the department is "about 9 short" of full coverage, including the CTA vocational building; he said five elementary schools have full-time coverage out of 12. The sheriff and the states attorney reported recent coordination with school district leadership to establish procedures for sharing evidence such as video in school-related investigations while respecting federal student privacy laws.

States Attorney Bob Harvey told the board his office has an operative memorandum of understanding with the sheriffs office and that prosecutors review forwarded complaints to determine whether criminal charges are appropriate. He described coordination with school leaders to improve access, where lawful, to school videos and other materials needed for criminal inquiries.

During public comment, residents asked how different complaint forms and supervisory or mediation outcomes are reflected in the boards complaint tracker and whether the public can view recommendations or policy changes that result from ACC reviews. Board members explained that complaints submitted to the PAB are entered into an online complaint tracker with case status (for example, charged, not charged, exonerated) and that recommendations to change policy or training come from ACC discussions; the board said it avoids publicly linking recommendations to individually identifiable complaints. A public commenter urged clearer public guidance and more explicit publication of overarching recommendations that result from trend reviews.

No individual vote tallies for the motions were recorded in the transcript beyond standard "ayes" and "nays." The board scheduled future quarterly meetings and adjourned after public comment.