Police Audit Recommendations Address Mental Health Response, Use of Force, Training

Montgomery County leaders released recommendations from a preliminary audit of the county police department (MCPD) during a press conference Wednesday.

County Executive Marc Elrich commissioned the independent audit as part of the Reimagining Public Safety initiative he launched in 2020. It aims to improve public safety in the county with an emphasis on equity.

The audit was conducted by the non-profit consultant Effective Law Enforcement For All, Inc. (ELE4A). Recommendations address areas including police mental health response, use of force, internal affairs, early warning and intervention system for officers, education and training, recruitment and hiring.

Some recommendations include:

• Training should reflect a “Guardian” culture
• Incorporate procedural justice, bias-free, cultural diversity and de-escalation elements throughout training curriculum
• Require mandatory crisis response reporting
• Establish Behavioral Health Unit with real time response component
• All uses of force should be investigated
• All complaints should be investigated
• Expand body worn camera use
• Administrative investigations should parallel, not follow, criminal investigations
• Adopt an Early Warning and Intervention System (EIS) to improve officer accountability and support

The audit is not yet complete and will continue over the next couple of months. Elrich will discuss the audit report and other reimagining public safety implementation updates with residents during a virtual meeting July 7. Residents can register here.

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.

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