The voices of your constituents must not be ignored. As a Prince George’s County resident, I urge you to listen to residents and implement a strong Police Accountability Board. The PAB must ensure real police transparency and accountability in our county.
As mandated by the passage of the Maryland Police Accountability Act of 2021, Prince George’s County must create their own PAB in order to strengthen local police oversight. We must utilize this moment to codify strong civilian oversight measures, not just meet the bare minimum requirements.
If the safety of all residents is a true priority, these additions must be implemented into the PAB:
-Members of the Board and Committee must reflect the racial, gender, gender-identity, sexual orientation, and cultural diversity of the County.
-Include members with a range of professional or lived experiences in areas including, but not limited to, mental health disabilities, substance use disorders, immigration, criminal justice, re-entering citizens, and living below the poverty guideline for the County.
-The PAB must have subpoena powers and paid investigators to effectively review complaints of police misconduct filed by members of the public
-The PAB must have a sufficient budget to operate and do their job effectively. The proposed budget will include staff costs, independent legal counsel and compensation for PAB and ACC members.
I urge the Prince George's County Council to listen to the concerns of county residents and implement a strong Police Accountability Board now.