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Baltimore County administrative charging committee reviews conflict rules, updates police trial board schedule and enters closed session
Summary
At its Jan. 3 meeting the Baltimore County Administrative Charging Committee reviewed conflict-of-interest procedures under COMAR, received updates on scheduled police trial boards, approved meeting minutes and voted to go into closed session under county code and COMAR.
The Baltimore County Administrative Charging Committee on Jan. 3, 2025 reviewed conflict-of-interest rules, received updates on upcoming police trial boards and voted to enter a closed session, members said.
The committee opened at 12:06 p.m. in the Baltimore County Historic Courthouse and via WebEx, approved the Dec. 13, 2024 meeting minutes and then discussed procedural matters including recusal standards under the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR). Members also received scheduling updates on internal trial boards and later recessed into closed session under the cited county code and COMAR provision.
Committee members emphasized that conflicts should be flagged as early as possible — ideally before reviewing a file — and that recusal requires stepping away both from discussion and from voting. Members said conflicts may be identified by recognizing a participant’s name during file review or during initial review; when a conflict is recognized, review of the file should stop and the member should notify the chair and the staff member identified in the meeting record so the committee can ensure a quorum for any subsequent hearing.
Members reported that the Police Accountability Board approved its annual report; the committee said the report will be posted on the county website for public review.
The committee gave an update on trial board scheduling. The meeting record indicates a trial board that had been scheduled for Jan. 7, 2025 and described in the record as involving a "failure to respond to a mental disorder" was canceled after the officer accepted the recommended discipline. The next trial board noted in the record was rescheduled for Jan. 17; the item had previously been postponed from Dec. 17 because of illness and was described in the meeting record as involving alleged use-of-force and conduct-related charges.
At 12:13 p.m. the committee voted to enter a closed session to review statutory files "in compliance with section 3-3-3-3 of the Baltimore County Code and COMAR 12.04.09.0521," according to the motion read into the record. The meeting returned to open session at 3:17 p.m., at which time members adjourned. The committee set its next meeting for Feb. 7, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. in room 1.18 of the Baltimore County Historic Courthouse and via WebEx.
Votes at a glance: Dec. 13 minutes approved — motion carried (all in favor); motion to enter closed session under Baltimore County Code section and COMAR 12.04.09.0521 — motion carried (all in favor); motion to adjourn until Feb. 7, 2025 — motion carried (all in favor).
