Baltimore County Police outline internal affairs move and ask for legislative fixes to the Police Accountability Act

The Baltimore County police chief told the Police Accountability Board the department is modernizing its internal affairs operations, including plans to relocate the Internal Affairs unit to 305 Washington Avenue in March so members of the public can make complaints or be interviewed outside the footprint of other police facilities.

The chief said the new site will provide a separate space for complainants and for officers who are witnesses or subjects of investigations, and that the move aligns with best practices for transparency and modern investigative processes. The chief introduced Matt Gorman, identified as commander of the Internal Affairs division, and thanked Internal Affairs staff for triaging and treating complaints equitably.

Ernie, an assistant county attorney who prosecutes police trial-board hearings and serves on statewide police legal-advisers groups, briefed the PAB on coordinated legislative priorities the statewide group is compiling. He told the board the group is seeking several statutory clarifications and changes: removing departmental car accidents from the statewide disciplinary matrix so ACC resources can focus on misconduct; addressing the year-and-a-day administrative charging deadline (to allow tolling when criminal charges are pending); and correcting ambiguities in the Police Accountability Act that have produced unintended consequences in practice. Ernie said statewide coordination among police legal advisers and internal affairs workgroups is underway to present a consistent list of proposals to the legislature.

No formal vote or board action on the department's relocation or the legislative proposals occurred; PAB members expressed support for the topics and acknowledged overlap with the board's own recommendations in the annual report. The assistant county attorney and department representatives said the proposals are being coordinated with chiefs and sheriffs across the state and that next steps include outreach through the county government's government affairs office and the General Assembly if bills are introduced.

Board members asked clarifying questions and noted they share many of the same concerns. The PAB chair thanked the chief, Internal Affairs staff, and the county attorney's office for their continued cooperation.