Prince George's County Is Shuffling Seats/ Police Accountability Boards (Data)/Big News/ Take Our Poll
Counties PAB data is important, and should be known by its residents.
On August 6, 2023, as I was standing in the crowd at the Southern Regional Technology and Recreation Complex, reporting on a rally for Gov. Wes Moore, I engaged in a conversation with an attendee.
For some reason, we started talking about who the next county executive would be. He told me that Council Member Calvin Hawkins may run for the position when then County Executive Angela exits that office. (Note: There was speculation that Senator-Elect Alsobrooks would run for governor. However, she didn’t and endorsed Moore. It seems that her bid to run for senate may have already taken shape).
I had no proof that this person was telling the truth, but I kept it in the back of my mind. Fast-forward, with Mel Franklin getting caught illegally spending campaign funds, and Angela Alsobrooks winning a Maryland Senate seat, the county executive office is open to be filled. Council member Calvin Hawkins, like Alsobrooks, is from Prince George’s County and has decided to run for office.
Other people who have thrown their names in the race are Rushern Baker, Aisha Braveboy, Prince George’s County State’s Attorney, Jolene Ivey, who was recently elected chair of the county council, Tonya Sweat, and State Sen. Alonzo Washington.
The primary is set to start on March 4 and the general election will begin on May 27.
The Calvert County Police Accountability Board’s Data
It should be noted that Calvert County’s end-of-the-year report is for 2022-23. The board has not released data for 2024. See the screenshot below.
As you observe this data, I should note that not everyone reports police officers’ potentially illegal actions.
In 2022, 41 incidents were reported. In 2023, 29 incidents were reported, a significant drop from the previous year. The Administrative Charging Committee (ACC) is part of the PAB, which handles accusations against police officers. See screenshot.
Why is there a drop between the actual complaints filed vs. those reviewed? We are not sure if this explanation applies to this. In 2023, Wilson Parran, the police accountability board chair, and administrative charging committee vice chair, wrote in a presentation that there was a backlog of filings. The presentation says:
“The ACC diligently reviewed all backlogged cases and determined that they had exceeded the 30-day review period stipulated in the Public Safety Article.”
“We sought opportunities to clarify the statutory definition of “Police Misconduct” with the help of our elected officials.”
The third line shows the number of cases that are considered not eligible to be reviewed. In the case of 22, 8 cases were ineligible. In 2023, there were 6 cases.
The Prince George’s County PAB’s Data
In 2023, there were 104 allegations/complaints issued against the 10 police agencies in the county, according to the 2023 police report. This data was compiled from Jan. 1 through December 19, 2023. Residents complained about police officers using unnecessary force, unbecoming conduct, and discourtesy.
A majority of the allegations were levied against the Prince George’s County Police Department (65). See chart below. Here is a list of those agencies that received complaints:
Bowie
Seat Pleasant
Cheverly
Laurel
District Heights
Greenbelt
Hyattsville
Landover Hills
Prince George’s Police
Prince George’s Sheriff
Most of the complaints were filed online.
Big News
Moore suggests rollbacks to Maryland’s public education plan are coming
Excerpt: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Thursday proposed scaling back parts of the state’s ambitious public education improvement plan as the state faces a multi-billion-dollar budget deficit.
Moore, a Democrat, said the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is due for changes but offered few specifics.
“We will pause the elements that need a closer look or require laying a stronger foundation for full implementation,” Moore said, according to remarks prepared for an audience of local government leaders.
One specific proposal from Moore is to pause a Blueprint program that gives school teachers more “collaborative time” out of the classroom to work on curriculum planning, grading and professional development.
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Prince George’s County Board of Education Swears In New Members
Excerpt: After a dramatic week for the Prince George’s County Board of Education’s swearing-in of new members, initially scheduled for Dec. 2 at 5 p.m., was delayed, there’s officially a chair and vice chair of the educational governing body. The delay occurred after a new member filed an injunction with the Circuit Court.
While the annual meeting to elect the board chair and vice chair was still scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in Upper Marlboro on Dec. 2, the election was moved to Dec. 5 following a unanimous vote of the current Board.
Branndon Jackson (District 6) was elected to serve as chair and Jonathan Briggs (District 2) was elected to serve as the vice chair. Zakyia Goins-McCants did not attend the meeting, as her narrow 13-vote win appears to be headed to a recount initiated by her competitor, Angela Jones.
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Prince George’s County Election Fund
Nice work, Delonte.