Over 200 Applicants Later, Policing Advisory Commission Members Finalized

On Tuesday the Montgomery County Council approved members for the Policing Advisory Commission.

The commission was established in December 2019 and is meant to provide oversight of the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) and improve community relations with police. The group will also update councilmembers about policing matters and give recommendations about policies and best practices. 

“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,” council documents read. Members serve three-year terms. 

Over 200 people applied to be chosen by the council, and each of the nine councilmembers nominated an applicant. The commission totals 15 people, and County Executive Marc Elrich nominated four residents, including two youth members. Two spots are given to MCPD Chief Marcus Jones and Fraternal Order of Police President Torrie Cooke, who will be non-serving members. The council chose the following members:

• Cherri Branson, Silver Spring
• Caroline Fredrickson, Silver Spring
• Jenn Lynn, Germantown
• Shabab Ahmed Mirza, Silver Spring
• Jerome Price, Rockville
• Justice Reid, Bethesda
• Vernon Ricks, Potomac 
• Nadia Salazar Sand, Silver Spring
• Eric Sterling, Chevy Chase

Elrich nominated the following residents for the commission:

• Dr. Robin Gaster, Silver Spring
• Alicia Hudson, Silver Spring
• Dalbin Osorio, Gaithersburg (Youth Member age 26-35)
• Jasmine Williams, Clarksburg (Youth Member age 25 or Under)

Cherri Branson is the interim vice chair of the commission.

MyMCMedia spoke with Vernon Ricks, interim chair to the Policing Advisory Commission and Vice President of MyMCMedia’s Board of Directors. 

About Maryam Shahzad

Maryam is a reporter with Montgomery Community Media. She graduated from the University of Maryland in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism. Previously, she was an intern with MCM. She can be reached at mshahzad@mymcmedia.org or on Twitter @maryam_mcm.

View all posts by Maryam Shahzad