Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh
In an attempt to rebuild trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve, Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh released a new set of guidelines aimed at ending discriminatory profiling in the state on Aug. 25.
The document details ways police investigations can avoid being discriminatory. Statewide adoption of the guidance makes Maryland the first state to set enforcement standards following the Department of Justice’s moves to end discriminatory profiling. In December, the Department of Justice set rules to prohibit FBI agents from considering race, ethnicity, gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity to pursue cases.
Maryland followed Department of Justice’s lead, when drafting the guidelines, prohibiting officers, in any law enforcement agency in Maryland, from considering race, ethnicity, gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability or gender identity when conducting routine police operations.
“Today we are joined by many people who work for justice,” Frosh said during the press conference in Annapolis, Maryland. “Law enforcement, prosecutors, advocacy groups – that we simply demonstrate we are on the same page . . . not as adversaries; we all know there is room for improvement,” he continued.
The guidance is based on the state and federal constitutions. It also contains standards in two categories: routine police work and investigations. Police policy and procedure has been called into question recently as all eyes turn to the deaths of unarmed Black men and women in police custody, such as Freddie Gray, 25, and others throughout the United States.
“This is an important step forward, and the standards of this guidance are ones that all law enforcement should follow, including the Baltimore Police Department,” interim Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said. “I’m committed to making sure that the standards being released today are part of our practices – for the benefit of our officers and our community.”
Officials who accompanied Frosh during the news conference included Prince George’s County Police Chief Mark Magaw, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett, and Prince George’s County’s State Attorney Angela Alsobrooks.
“This is not a fantasy . . . we know this the truth . . . in our community every day,” said Alsobrooks. “We are here because we have an opportunity to not only change today but to change tomorrow.”
