On February 1, 2024, Associate Policy Director Sarah Sample testified before the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee in support of SB 380- Police Recruitment and Retention Workgroup. This bill establishes a workgroup to assess recruitment challenges and the decline in police officer retention.
Building the public safety workforce of the future will take a concerted effort like those established in SB 380. With a greater focus on community policing, mental health first aid, and de-escalation strategies, law enforcement agencies have an opportunity to capitalize on the growth and historic policing reforms that have been instituted across Maryland. SB 380 is a way to put those efforts and research into action to ensure the safety of all residents.
Staffing shortages have created complications across many sectors, but few pose a dire and immediate threat to public safety in the same way as shortages in law enforcement personnel. Vacancies, in conjunction with the percentage of employees eligible for retirement, paint an even more disturbing picture of the breadth of this crisis.
SB 380’s cross-file, HB 618, was heard on February 20, 2024 in the House Appropriations Committee. Sarah Sample submitted written testimony in support of this bill.
SB 380 was heard in the opposite chamber, the House Appropriations Committee, on March 26. MACo submitted testimony in support.
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