ACP approves Sept. 8 public forum, sends three letters to MCPD on mugshots, mission and use-of-force

The Montgomery County Advisory Commission on Policing voted Aug. 11 to hold an in-person public forum Sept. 8 at the Council Office Building, to begin with a brief information session about the commission’s work followed by a structured listening session for residents, and to livestream the event on social platforms for remote viewing.

The action came alongside formal approval of three policy letters drafted by Commissioner Francisco urging changes to Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) practices: recommending stricter limits on public release of suspect photographs used in MCPD press releases; suggesting revisions to the department’s mission and organizational values to emphasize community policing and a guardian—not warrior—approach; and offering substantive comments on the department’s FC1‑31 use-of-force policy.

“Logan and I discussed with our colleagues in the public information office some of the logistics regarding the public forum,” commission staff member Logan said during the meeting, noting that a hybrid (in‑person plus active remote participation) option was not logistically possible but that the forum could be livestreamed for viewers to watch. Commissioner Francisco moved that the commission proceed with the format — an informational overview followed by a listening session with a specific ask that attendees bring observations or suggestions about public safety — and the motion was carried by voice vote.

Commissioners agreed the commission would solicit written comments via the commission’s online form for residents who cannot attend and that staff would post the recording after the event. The commission also decided commissioners would monitor social-media livestream comments during the event and read moderated comments into the record so remote participants could be heard without a hybrid interactive feed. Staff were asked to work with the county public information office on publicity and to provide draft promotional language for commissioners to share; commissioners requested at least two weeks of advance advertising.

The three letters drafted by Commissioner Francisco were each discussed and approved by the commission with instructions to permit minor grammatical edits before sending as formal correspondence. On the mugshot/photograph release letter, commissioners urged MCPD to stop routinely including non‑identification photos in press releases and to publish such images only when the department is seeking the public’s help to identify a suspect or potential victims. “Photos should not be released in MCPD releases except when MCPD is looking to identify a suspect or find him, or in cases where MCPD is looking to identify possible other victims,” Francisco said.

On the mission and organizational values letter, commissioners requested that the final draft move language about community policing and policing by consent forward in the text and add brief explanatory context so readers unfamiliar with the concepts understand the commission’s recommendations. The use-of-force letter—described by Francisco as a detailed, section-by-section review—will be sent with a courtesy copy to the county council and the chair of the Police Accountability Board; commissioners asked that a recent headquarters memo removing the term “excited delirium” be called out in the letter to avoid confusion.

Motions on the forum and the three letters passed by voice vote; individual tallies were not recorded on the meeting transcript. The commission set Sept. 8 as the public forum date and asked staff to circulate finalized publicity copy “by the end of the week” to allow advertising time. Commissioners also agreed to follow up after the forum by forwarding topics raised at the session to MCPD for response to create a continuing dialogue.

Minutes from the July meeting were approved at the start of the Aug. 11 session by voice vote.