Councilwoman wants to open up police hearings
Says disciplinary trials should be livestreamed to allow easier access
As state lawmakers finalize details of legislation reforming police oversight laws this week, an Anne Arundel councilwoman is calling for more transparency close to home.
Councilwoman Lisa Brannigan Rodvien wants the county executive to make police disciplinary hearings more available to the public by livestreaming them.
“Basically, the idea is people can view it anywhere they have an internet connection,” the Annapolis Democrat said. “They could watch from home.”
She plans to introduce the resolution Monday night in response to a call from her constituents to increase police accountability. She declined to release a copy of the resolution in advance of the meeting.
Currently, police trial board hearings are public meetings but don’t have all the same open meeting requirements as the council meeting every two weeks. The county Police Department was criticized recently after a trial board hearing for an officer accused of putting his knee on a Black man’s neck would only have limited seating to watch the hearing over a closed video link.
The hearing was for Daniel Reynolds, the detective who is challenging a recommendation for termination before a three-person panel. He was
suspended last summer after an Odenton man, Daniel Jarrells, sued the county and three officers involved in his arrest. A video of the arrest shows Reynolds leaning on Jarrells, who claims he was placed in a chokehold.
Rodvien said her resolution asks County Executive Steuart Pittman to make the change since the council cannot order the chief to do anything. Because it is a resolution, it does not carry any legal requirements.
Reynolds’ trial board hearing was delayed in March after a witness was not available to testify. It was rescheduled for April 14.
The resolution’s introduction is merely the first step in the process. The council could vote to introduce and pass the resolution in the same evening, but typically resolutions are introduced, discussed and then passed at a subsequent meeting.
Other business
In other business, the council will continue its work on the General Development Plan 2040, the county’s multi-year planning document. The council previously amended the plan and on Monday will review several amendments.
The council does not plan to pass the entire plan Monday as another work session to discuss further amendments is scheduled for later this month.
The GDP Plan 2040 is a long-term document that guides zoning decisions and development in the county. Pittman has positioned the plan as one of the key factors in completing his promises of slowing development sprawl and focusing on the areas of the county that need growth.
Though it’s widely known as a land-use plan, the GDP also makes policy recommendations relating to the natural environment, built environment, healthy communities and a healthy economy. The document guides county land decisions over a 20-year period but is updated every eight years.
Councilwoman Jessica Haire, R-Edgewater, has introduced Bill 21-21, which would allow “landscaping and tree contracting with accessory recycling of logs into firewood” as a special exception use in RA residential districts.
Currently, landscaping and tree contracting without accessory recycling are allowed as a special exception in the residential district. This bill would expand that, though there are restrictions on the fresh zoning changes. Those restrictions include requiring the facility to be on a lot of at least five acres, mandating certain firewood storage and limiting log into firewood recycling to one day a week. The bill also includes sound restrictions not exceeding an average of 55 adjusted decibels and a peak of 60.
Councilman Nathan Volke, R-Pasadena, sponsored Bill 26-21, updating the county noise disturbance provisions. This bill would align the county with some state standards for noise disturbances while also updating the code away from directly referencing older devices such as tape players.
The bill changes the starting time of noise disturbance prohibition from 11 p.m. to 10 p.m. While this starts the disturbance timing earlier, the change does align the county rules more with the state, according to a legislative summary of the bill.
Fines are not targeted for a change in the bill. Any person who fails to reduce noise levels after ordered by a police officer is subject to a $500 fine, up to 30 days imprisonment or both.
Other bills up for a vote can be found at aacounty.org/departments/county-council/legislation.
The meeting starts at 6 p.m. Council meetings are being livestreamed as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19.