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Baltimore County PAB Hears Police Update on Sam Brown Investigation; Mobile Crisis Teams Described as Limited
Summary
At a Police Accountability Board meeting, a Baltimore County Police representative said the Attorney General's Office is leading the investigation into the death of Sam Brown and that county mobile crisis teams are scarce—often one per side of the county and countywide only on some overnight shifts—prompting board members and public commenters to urge expanded crisis-response capacity.
A Baltimore County Police representative told the Police Accountability Board that the Attorney General's Office is leading the investigation into the death of Sam Brown in Woodlawn and the department is cooperating, so officials cannot discuss investigative details while the outside probe continues. “There’s not much I can say in the investigation because right now they are taking lead,” the representative said.
The exchange, during the board’s regular quarterly meeting, quickly shifted to crisis response. Board members and public-health–affiliated participants pressed the department for more mobile crisis teams and faster deployment after the fatality. A participant with past experience on mobile crisis teams described those teams as a “very limited resource” in Baltimore County, saying there may be only one team for each side of the county during daytime shifts and only one team countywide on the midnight shift.
“First, remember, police officers are at a premium in this day and age,” the participant said, adding that clinician partners who staff the teams are also difficult to recruit for 24/7 coverage.
The police representative confirmed that patrol officers receive basic training and that the department is working to increase mobile crisis support and related training, but stopped short of committing to additional staffed teams immediately, citing operational limits and the county health department’s role in the collaboration. “It’s a team very much as that concept,” the speaker said, describing the program as a partnership between the health department and police.
Public commenters urged the board to advocate for funding and staffing to expand mobile crisis capacity. Claire Landers, a self-identified social worker, said she found it “heartbreaking” that one team cannot cover multiple simultaneous incidents and asked the board to press for additional funded teams.
The board did not adopt new policy at the meeting; it received the update, heard public comment, and moved on to other agenda items. The representative reiterated that the Attorney General’s Office is taking the lead on the Sam Brown investigation and that department officials would defer comment until that office publishes its findings.
