Read more about the article Montgomery State’s Attorney Tours Schools, Warns of Ghost Guns
County Government and Structure / County News / Education / Emergency Management / General Assembly News / Government Liability and Courts / Health and Human Services / Public Safety and Corrections
Montgomery State’s Attorney Tours Schools, Warns of Ghost Guns

On Saturday, September 24th, Bethesda Magazine published a piece chronicling Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy's efforts to educate students on gun safety issues, focusing on ghost guns. The State's Attorney is visiting each of Montgomery County's 26 high schools to “educate [the county's] high school students about how to keep schools and students safe.” Gun seizures have risen in the last year, with "907 guns [having] been seized in the county as of Sept. 11,"…

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September 26, 2022
Read more about the article Police Redistricting Moves Forward in Baltimore City
Baltimore City's Neighborhood - courtesy of the Baltimore City Health Department
County News / General Assembly News / Government Liability and Courts / Public Safety and Corrections
Police Redistricting Moves Forward in Baltimore City

The Baltimore City Council has moved legislation modifying its police district boundaries to third reader, the final step before requiring Mayor Brandon M. Scott's signature. Council Bill 22-0257, entitled "Police Department of Baltimore City - Police Districts - Redistricting," became necessary after, in 2019, the Maryland General Assembly required the Baltimore City Police Commissioner to draft a police redistricting plan within one year of a decennial census conducted by the United States Census Bureau. Under…

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September 23, 2022
Read more about the article Homeland Security Finalizes Controversial Immigration Rule
County News / Government Liability and Courts / Health and Human Services / Housing and Community Development / NACo and Federal Issues
Homeland Security Finalizes Controversial Immigration Rule

On September 8th, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) finalized a rule re-defining a "public charge," a controversial concept with substantial implications for state and local government services. At its most basic level, a public charge is a lawful non-citizen who must rely on government services for subsistence, and as a result, can be denied citizenship or legal residency (a green card). The new rule codifies what DHS describes as the "historical understanding of…

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September 22, 2022
Read more about the article Police Reform Update: Trial Board Training Takes Shape
Government Liability and Courts / Public Safety and Corrections
Police Reform Update: Trial Board Training Takes Shape

Following July's letter from the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission (PTSC) outlining training standards for Administrative Charging Committees (ACCs), the agency has once again issued a letter - this time focusing on training for Trial Boards. Under the Maryland Police Accountability Act of 2021, PABs review and oversee police misconduct complaints from the public, ACCs receive completed investigatory reports of police misconduct and determine levels of discipline, and trial boards hear appeals of any recommended discipline. In…

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September 21, 2022
Read more about the article Baltimore County Confirms Police Accountability Board Members
County News / Government Liability and Courts / Public Information and Ethics / Public Safety and Corrections
Baltimore County Confirms Police Accountability Board Members

On Monday, September 19th, the Baltimore County Council provided near unanimous consent to County Executive Johnny Olszewski's nine nominees to the County's first-ever Police Accountability Board (PAB). As discussed in previous Conduit Street coverage, under the 2021 Police Accountability Act, each Maryland county must create several police oversight bodies, including an administrative charging committee (ACC), PAB, and trial board. PABs review and oversee police misconduct complaints from the public and ACCs receive completed investigatory reports…

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September 20, 2022
Read more about the article Meaghan Alegi to Head Harford’s Law Department
County Government and Structure / County News / Government Liability and Courts / Human Resources
Meaghan Alegi to Head Harford’s Law Department

On Monday, September 19th, Harford County Executive Barry Glassman named Meaghan Alegi as acting director of the County’s Law Department. Ms. Alegi succeeds Melissa Lambert, who will serve as the Director of Legal Affairs for the Harford County Sheriff's Office. Ms. Lambert had led the Law Department for eight years and notably achieved a reversal on a 30-year-old rubble landfill case worth $45M. Moreover, earlier this year, she represented Harford during negotiations with the state…

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September 20, 2022
Read more about the article Correlation or Causation? Connecting Gun Laws and Suicides
County News / Emergency Management / Government Liability and Courts / Health and Human Services / NACo and Federal Issues / Public Safety and Corrections
Correlation or Causation? Connecting Gun Laws and Suicides

In observation of Suicide Prevention Month, a recent Governing article identifies a strong correlation between state gun laws and elevated gun suicide rates. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its first-ever report on firearm deaths in May of this year. According to the CDC, the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the conditions underlying gun violence, including "changes and disruptions to services and education, mental stress, social isolation, and economic stressors, including job loss,…

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September 19, 2022
Read more about the article MD Court of Appeals Begins 2022-2023 Session
County News / Environment / Finance and Procurement / Government Liability and Courts / Public Information and Ethics / Public Safety and Corrections
MD Court of Appeals Begins 2022-2023 Session

Underscoring three high-profile cases, the Daily Record published a primer on the Maryland Court of Appeals' 2022-2023 session. The seven-member Court of Appeals is Maryland's highest court and will feature "its first full session with Chief Judge Matthew J. Fader and Judge Angela M. Eaves." Both judges were nominated to the Court in February of this year. According to the Daily Record, Chief Judge Fader "will likely recuse himself from the many appeals the high…

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September 15, 2022
Read more about the article NACo: Grants Can Promote Public Safety and Judicial Equity
County News / Government Liability and Courts / Health and Human Services / Housing and Community Development / NACo and Federal Issues / Public Safety and Corrections
NACo: Grants Can Promote Public Safety and Judicial Equity

The National Association of Counties (NACo) recently released a piece entitled, "Grantmaking: A County Strategy to Address Racial And Ethnic Disparities In The Criminal Legal System," focusing on county investment approaches to promote equity and community engagement in justice and public safety services. As a primary driver toward equity, NACo advises counties to fund community-led organizations to eliminate "racial and ethnic disparities present in the criminal legal system." Citing the overrepresentation of Black, Latinx, and…

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September 14, 2022
Read more about the article Howard Potentially Eliminating Little-Known Court
County News / General Assembly News / Government Liability and Courts
Howard Potentially Eliminating Little-Known Court

A Herald-Mail article details a Howard County ballot question seeking to eliminate the county's Orphans' Court, following the lead of two other jurisdictions and potentially creating a statewide rift in the judiciary. Maryland's Orphans' Courts, established through the Maryland Constitution (Article IV, §§ 1 and 40), preside "over the administration of estates." The courts have the "authority to direct the conduct of personal representatives" of an estate and have "jurisdiction over the guardianship of the property…

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September 12, 2022
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