For Immediate Release: Friday, June 5, 2020
Deadline is Friday, June 19 for Nine Appointees
ROCKVILLE, MD, May 20, 2020 — The Montgomery County Council is accepting applications for membership on the County’s Policing Advisory Commission. Applications for the three-year appointments are due by 5 p.m. on June 19, 2020.
Bill 14-19 establishing the Policing Advisory Commission was signed into law December 12, 2019. Bill 14-19 creates and specifies the membership and duties of a Policing Advisory Commission (“Commission”). The goal of the Commission is to improve Council oversight of the Montgomery County Police Department (“MCPD”) and strengthen community trust in police. The Commission will advise the Council on policing matters, provide information regarding best practices, recommend policies, and engage in public education and other programs.
A policing policy commission is different from a public oversight commission or public review board that some communities have established. The County’s commission will not investigate or prosecute complaints against officers. Those matters are included under departmental procedures, and Montgomery County lacks the authority to create an effective public review board under current state law.
Instead, the Commission is intended to review the policy guidelines that shape how the department and officers do their work. For example: How do we train officers for encounters with residents who have mental health challenges? How do we treat marijuana use or possession in enforcement? How effective is our disciplinary process?
The Policing Advisory Commission will deliberate on policy issues, using data and focusing on best practices. The goal is to strengthen the Council’s oversight role and help prevent problems from occurring. The Commission will consist of 13 public members who have an interest or expertise in policing matters and will reflect the diversity of the County's communities. Nine members will be appointed by the Council and four members will be appointed by the County Executive (two of the Executive’s appointments will be youth members - one under the age of 25 and one between the ages of 26 and 35). The County Executive will send out a separate news release seeking applicants. The police chief, or a designee, and the president of the Fraternal Order of Police, or a designee, will serve as ex-officio members.
Members should reflect a range of ethnicities, socioeconomic status, and places of origin to reflect the racial and economic diversity of the County’s communities, including religious creed, age, sex - including on the basis of gender identity or orientation, disability, and geographic location, with emphasis on those disproportionately impacted by inequities. Members serve three-year terms and must participate in the MCPD Citizens Academy. The Commission elects its Chair and Vice Chair.
The Commission meets at the call of the Chair. The Commission must meet as often as necessary to perform its duties, but not less than six times each year. A member must serve without compensation. However, a member may request reimbursement for mileage and dependent care costs at rates established by the County.
Applicants should submit letters of interest and resumes via email to County.Council@MontgomeryCountyMD.gov or by mail to Sidney Katz, President, Montgomery County Council, 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20850. Resumes should not be more than 4 pages in length. Letters should indicate an interest or expertise in policing matters and, if desired, may include how the background and/or experience of the applicant would contribute to the mandate of the Commission. Please include home address, contact number, and email address.
Applications must be received no later than 5 p.m. on June 19, 2020. It is the policy of the County Council not to consider applications received after the deadline. After the closing date, Councilmembers will review the letters of application and select applicants for interviews to be held soon thereafter.
Letters of application and resumes are made public as part of the appointment process and are available for public review. The interviews are conducted in public and will be televised. Members of County Boards, Committees and Commissions may not serve on more than one such group at a time.
For more information about the Policing Advisory Commission email Anne.Brown@MontgomeryCountyMD.gov.
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Release ID: 20-243