Carroll County oversight panel: 15 complaints in last quarter; two resulted in charges

At a meeting of the Carroll County Police Accountability Board, staff reported 15 complaint cases over the previous three months, 13 distinct incidents and two that produced formal charges.

The update came from Tom Leadwell, Westminster Police Chief, who told the board he would provide quarterly summaries going forward. ‘‘So, in the last 3 months, we had 15 cases. . . . Out of that, 13 were not charged, 2 were charged,’’ Leadwell said.

The cases included a range of allegations. Leadwell summarized December as including one civility/ discourteous behavior allegation, one failure to notify a complainant they were being recorded and a privacy-related complaint that was later exonerated. January’s four cases included alleged rude or unprofessional conduct, an alleged Fourth Amendment issue during a traffic stop with a K‑9 search, and a civil matter involving custody rights. February had eight cases, several alleging Fourth Amendment violations and use of unnecessary force that the ACC found unfounded, plus one vehicle pursuit matter that resulted in charges for not using a siren during the chase.

Leadwell said two officers were involved in a single situation, making 13 distinct events in total. He described the overall tally as ‘‘about the 10% rule,’’ meaning roughly 10% of cases produced charges.

Board members and staff stressed that many complaints arise from disputes that are not violations of law but interpersonal or civil matters where parties perceive rudeness or bias. Leadwell and others said body-worn camera and in-car footage often clarified events: ‘‘...sometimes the body worn camera, and sometimes the in-car camera, tell the whole story,’’ Leadwell said when the group discussed evidence submission.

The board also heard that roughly five of the cases were county-level and 10 municipal, and that several complaints involved perceived lack of civility rather than criminal conduct. Members discussed the cumulative effect of repeated unsubstantiated complaints on officers’ records and noted current state law prevents expungement of such allegations even when they are not sustained.

The panel did not take a formal vote on policy changes at the meeting. Leadwell said he will present the next quarterly update at the subsequent meeting.

Why it matters: the numbers and trends inform how the board and law enforcement prioritize training, outreach and internal review processes. The board discussed whether changes in record-keeping or state law are needed for fairness to officers and transparency to the public.

Looking ahead: Leadwell said subsequent quarterly reports will continue to break down uses of force, warrantless-search reviews and complaints, and that the board will continue to discuss legislative requests about complaint records.