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HB0186 changes the composition of police disciplinary trial boards in Maryland. Under current law, these boards may include an actively serving or retired administrative law judge, or a retired judge, along with a civilian member and a police officer of equal rank to the officer accused of misconduct. The bill replaces the judge/administrative law judge seat with an attorney who meets new statutory qualifications, while keeping the civilian and equal-rank police officer members in place.
For local law enforcement agencies, the attorney chair would be appointed by the county chief executive officer. For statewide or bi-county agencies, the attorney would be appointed by the Chief Administrative Law Judge of the Maryland Office of Administrative Hearings. The bill also specifies detailed eligibility requirements for the attorney, including U.S. citizenship, Maryland residency, voter registration, a minimum age of 30, at least five years of state residency, six months of residency in the jurisdiction served, and admission to practice law in Maryland. The attorney would serve as chair, rule on motions, and prepare the written decision of the board. The bill retains existing provisions on training, public access, complainant rights, burden of proof, discipline for cause, appeals, and finality of decisions, and it takes effect October 1, 2025.
HB0186 would amend Section 3-106 of the Public Safety Article, narrowing who may serve in the chair role on police trial boards by substituting a qualified attorney for an administrative law judge or retired judge. This would affect the disciplinary process for police officers across local, statewide, and bi-county law enforcement agencies, while expressly excluding the Baltimore Police Department from the new composition rules. The bill would also create new statutory appointment and qualification standards for the attorney member, thereby changing how police discipline panels are staffed and potentially how disciplinary hearings are conducted and decided.
The bill appears to be framed as a procedural reform to police discipline rather than a broad policy overhaul, and the available record shows no recorded votes or committee testimony indicating strong public opposition or support. The overall sentiment is best characterized as neutral to reform-oriented, with the bill aiming to professionalize the chair position on trial boards by requiring a licensed attorney instead of a judge or administrative law judge. Because no transcript excerpts or vote tallies are provided, there is no clear evidence of organized support or resistance in the available materials.
The main point of contention is likely the replacement of judges or administrative law judges with attorneys as trial board chairs. Supporters may view the change as a way to broaden the pool of eligible chairs while preserving legal expertise, while critics may question whether an attorney provides the same independence or adjudicatory experience as a judge or ALJ. Another possible issue is the bill’s detailed residency, age, and voter-registration requirements for the attorney appointee, which could be seen as ensuring local accountability or, conversely, as unnecessarily restrictive. The bill also preserves the exclusion of the Baltimore Police Department from these provisions, which may reflect existing structural differences but could raise questions about uniformity in police discipline statewide.