ACP schedules March virtual public forum and keeps subcommittees tasked for work-plan follow-up

At its Jan. 20 meeting the Advisory Commission on Policing discussed its midyear work-plan and agreed to aim for two public forums this year — one virtual and one in person — and tentatively scheduled the virtual forum for the second Monday in March.

Members asked each to propose two or three possible topics for the February meeting so that the February agenda can confirm the March forum’s focus and public advertising. Francisco and others urged that the commission prioritize scheduling the in-person forum by June if possible.

The commission reviewed work-plan items including assessing MCPD planning processes and evaluating community-policing outcomes. Members recommended that the subcommittee keep item 7 (review role of police in probable-cause and pretrial-release decisions) active and suggested inviting the state's attorney to explain how charging and magistrate/commissioner processes operate in Maryland courts.

Sheree described concerns about the magistrate/commissioner process, noting there is not always legal representation for the person arrested at the time charges are listed and that magistrates or commissioners may not have uniform legal training. "That’s the issue… the person who’s doing this does not necessarily have to have a legal education," she said, and recommended a presentation to clarify the steps and impacts on bail and subsequent case records.

The commission agreed to keep that subcommittee work active and to coordinate volunteers and scheduling for briefings in coming months.