After years of complaining about police misconduct, advocates packed the state Senate’s Judicial Proceedings Committee room Thursday to support several bills aimed at making police more accountable.
Among them was one proposed by Baltimore City Senator Lisa Gladden that would alter the rights given to police officers under investigation for misconduct.
The Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights has been the target of advocates since a Baltimore City Council committee hearing on the death of Tyrone West in police custody in July 2013.
Advocates claim Maryland's version of the bill of rights gives police officers more protections than their counterparts in other states.
"Maryland law doesn't permit officers to be interviewed until 10 days after the incident,” said Sonia Kumar, staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland, “There is [also] a 90-day limit on filing complaints relating to police brutality."
Gladden's bill would remove the so called "10 day rule" as well as the time limit on filing brutality complaints. The bill would also remove the right to a disciplinary hearing for any officer who is convicted or pleads guilty to a misdemeanor committed while on duty. Officers already lose that right when convicted of a felony.
The Frustrating Part
Parts of the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights angered Chris Brown. Her son, Christopher Brown, died after a physical confrontation with off-duty Baltimore County Police Officer James Laboard, a neighbor, in 2012.
"It felt like the officer had more rights than my son who was the victim," said Chris Brown.
Christopher Brown was in a group of kids when someone threw a rock at Laboard's front door. Laboard chased them and caught up to Christopher. Chris Brown said she was told her son "fell unconscious" as a result of the confrontation.
The medical examiner ruled he was choked to death. Laboard was acquitted of manslaughter in Christopher's death in 2013.
Bad Bill For Good Cops
Gene Ryan, president of the Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police, said the bill of rights protects officer's due process.
"The whole idea - the concept - that the bill of rights protects bad cops; absolutely false," he said, "it protects good cops."
Ryan said 300 city cops have been fired with the bill of rights in place; that's doesn't include the officers who quit before being disciplined.
He added while Baltimore had its own controversial police incidents - like the Tyrone West case and the in-custody death of Anthony Anderson from Sept. 2012 - an outside panel investigated those cases and found no wrong doing.
"I know Ferguson and New York is pushing this; but that's not Baltimore City," Ryan said, "we don't have the same problems there and we haven't had the same problems there."