Caroline County commissioners approve MOA to use Office of Administrative Hearings judges for police trial boards

Caroline County commissioners voted on Oct. 7 to approve a memorandum of agreement (MOA) that allows the county and local law enforcement agencies to use administrative law judges supplied by the Maryland Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) to preside over police trial boards.

The MOA, presented by Kim Raider, PABACC administrator, directs law-enforcement agencies (LEAs) to pay costs such as judge fees and court reporters; the county’s formal role is limited to appointing or declining any judge the OAH provides. "The first page of this MOA, the last paragraph, that is where your responsibility lies as commissioners, which is the public safety article requires the chief executive officer of the county to appoint an actively…