Fought against a bipartisan crime package that included mandatory minimum sentences – which are ineffective at addressing public safety and fueled the prison industrial complex.
Worked on amendments to LEOBR that were in the bill we advocated for in 2015 – which includes requiring that civilians serve on administrative hearing boards and the non-law enforcement entities are allowed to participate in the internal investigations of police misconduct. The legislation that passed was a change that allowed civilians to serve on trial boards (though it is not required). What did not pass was allowing non-law enforcement to participate in the internal investigation of police misconduct.
Worked on amendments to the Law Enforcement Officer Bill of Rights (LEOBR). The primary focus of our advocacy that year was to require that civilians serve on the trial boards and to allow non-law enforcement entities to be involved in the internal investigations of police misconduct. This bill did not make it out of committee that year.
Passed Christopher’s Law, named after Christopher Brown who was killed by an off duty police officer in Baltimore County in 2012. This law required additional racial sensitivity and deescalation training. Additionally, it required that police officers learn CPR, due to the fact that the officer that killed Christopher Brown could have saved him if he knew how to do CPR.
Pressured the MD legislature and governor to abandon the plan to build a new youth detention center in east Baltimore.