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Annapolis oversight bodies describe complaint process and recent caseload
Summary
The Police Accountability Board and Administrative Charging Committee briefed the Public Safety Committee on oversight roles and case outcomes since July 1, 2022: 88 cases from the Annapolis Police Department were reported, with 42.2% unfounded, 31.9% administratively charged and 24.9% exonerated.
Janette Ortiz, chair of the Police Accountability Board, and Kenneth Vincent Jr., chair of the Administrative Charging Committee, told the Public Safety Committee on June 17 that the board and committee provide independent oversight and review of misconduct allegations against Annapolis police officers.
Lakesha Blue, director of Internal Affairs for the Annapolis Police Department, described the department’s investigative workflow: complaints are entered into the PRO database, assigned case numbers and an investigative detective, and then investigators collect evidence including body-worn camera footage and witness interviews. Investigative findings are categorized as sustained, not sustained, exonerated or unfounded and the investigative report is forwarded through the chain of command for review before administrative charging decisions.
Kenneth Vincent Jr. said the ACC, a five-member panel, reviews packaged cases (including body-worn camera footage) usually once or twice a month and then returns recommendations to the department and chief. Vincent said the ACC is meeting timelines more reliably than in its earliest years.
Janette Ortiz emphasized the PAB’s policymaking role. “We were established in accordance with the 2021 Police Accountability Act,” she said, adding that the board issues an annual report (the most recent is 2025) breaking down case types and recommendations across local law enforcement agencies.
When asked for the data breakdown, Ortiz and Vincent clarified that since July 1, 2022 the Annapolis Police Department submitted 88 external complaints that the oversight bodies have tracked: 42.2% were classified as unfounded, 31.9% resulted in administrative charges and 24.9% were exonerated. Vincent said case turnaround has improved from early backlogs and now allows more timely ACC review and recommendations.
The committee took no formal action on oversight policy at the hearing; Ortiz offered to provide the annual report and additional details to committee members for follow-up.
