Board hears new "Community Conversations" series; deputies begin wearing body cameras; sheriff's office reports high vacancies
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Summary
The board was briefed on a six-week 'Community Conversations' program starting Oct. 16 to improve police–community dialogue. Deputy Chief Black said deputy sheriffs began wearing body-worn cameras July 1 and reported a ~35% vacancy rate in the sheriff's office; police recruitment for the county police department showed improvement.
Mark Bell (chief diversity officer, identified in remarks as with Boca Raton Police) introduced a new six-week 'Community Conversations' program that will meet Thursdays from Oct. 16 through Nov. 20 (6–8 p.m.). Bell said the program is designed to put a human face on policing, focus on facilitated dialogue (including implicit bias and "implicit bias by proxy"), and include panels with academy staff and field officers. He said registration will be limited (roughly 30 slots), participants must be at least 18 and a background check is required for any sessions held at police headquarters.
Board members asked about facilitation and officer selection. Bell said the academy's training lead and departmental staff will facilitate, and that the program aims to spotlight officers' perspectives as well as community experiences. The chief and staff offered to provide flyers and to conduct community visits to promote the sessions.
Deputy Chief Black briefed the board on sheriff's office matters: deputies began wearing body-worn cameras July 1 pursuant to state law and the sheriff's office now uses evidence.com for storage and training. Black said the office faces a significant vacancy challenge — roughly a 35% vacancy rate as a small agency — and named competition, workload and attrition as drivers. He also clarified the sheriff's core functions (circuit-court security, prisoner transport, civil process service) and said the office serves evictions tied to mortgages and tax sales, while district-court constables handle landlord–tenant evictions.
Chief McCullough told the board the Baltimore County Police Department's recruitment is improving: recent academy classes included 60 recruits with the department's vacancy rate dropping from double digits to about 9%. He said the department will identify a budget 'wish list' during the upcoming budget season and engage the public on priorities.
Board members offered to participate in academy training days and expressed interest in having coalition members speak to recruits. Staff and counsel agreed to follow up on requests for additional data and reporting formats for the annual report and ACC materials.