Md. Code, Educ. § 24-1203

Current with changes from the 2024 Legislative Session
Section 24-1203 - General consideration
(a) If the University establishes a police department under this subtitle, the University shall:
(1) Adopt standards, qualifications, and prerequisites for hiring and training University police officers that comply with the regulations of the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission;
(2) Adopt standards for character, education, human relations, public relations, and experience for University police officers;
(3) Ensure constitutional and community-oriented policing through the adoption of policies, practices, and training that:
(i) Promote recruiting and hiring diverse candidates, using local hiring and residency initiatives;
(ii) Advance impartial and nondiscriminatory policing to promote disability and diversity awareness and prevent profiling and implicit bias against racial, ethnic, sexual, religious, and other minorities;
(iii) Promote appropriate interactions with individuals who:
1. Are under the age of 18;
2. Have behavioral health or other disabilities; or
3. Are in crisis;
(iv) Ensure appropriate use of force, including:
1. The use of alternatives to force;
2. The use of de-escalation techniques; and
3. For any officer who carries a firearm, the use of nonlethal or less-lethal weapons;
(v) Guarantee the adoption and use of appropriate and effective technology;
(vi) Ensure safe and humane treatment of individuals in custody;
(vii) Support the lawful exercise of rights of free expression, particularly in the context of a university community;
(viii) Build trust between victims of sexual assault and the police department and other University officials, consistent with University policy and federal and State law;
(ix) Promote community engagement, including:
1. Reporting community engagement plans each year to the Accountability Board established under § 24-1205 of this subtitle; and
2. Establishing a process to consider community or University requests for additional jurisdiction for the police department;
(x) Establish a process to:
1. Allow any person, including members of the police department, to file complaints against University police officers; and
2. Ensure timely investigation of all complaints regarding the police department and its employees;
(xi) Require training for University police officers regarding searches, including consensual searches; and
(xii) Require that a University police officer be certified by the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission;
(4) Subject to subsection (b) of this section, within 5 years after the execution of a memorandum of understanding under § 24-1202 of this subtitle, maintain a police department in which at least 25% of the police department's workforce are residents of Baltimore City;
(5) Require University police officers to wear and use body-worn cameras in accordance with:
(i) Procedures adopted by the University; and
(ii) The body-worn camera policy established by the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission under § 3-511 of the Public Safety Article;
(6) Employ not more than 100 employees within the police department; and
(7) Seek accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, or a similar organization.
(b) Subsection (a)(4) of this section may not be construed to require the University to hire an officer who:
(1) Does not meet the police officer certification requirements of the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission specified under § 3-209 of the Public Safety Article; or
(2) Fails an assessment that evaluates an applicant based on the standards adopted under subsection (a)(2) of this section.
(c) If the University establishes a police department under this subtitle, the University shall host or participate in at least four job events in each calendar year, located in different sites in Baltimore City, representative of the Baltimore City community, at which individuals are interviewed for positions in the police department workforce.
(d)
(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, if the University establishes a police department under this subtitle, the police department may not acquire any military grade vehicle or military grade hardware, including:
(i) An armored or weaponized:
1. Aircraft;
2. Drone; or
3. Vehicle; or
(ii) A weapon designated as a Title II weapon under the National Firearms Act.
(2) If any of the items specified under paragraph (1) of this subsection are available for commercial sale in the State, the University, at its own expense, may purchase the items for the police department.
(3) The police department may not accept any of the items specified under paragraph (1) of this subsection from a program operated by the federal government for the transfer of surplus military equipment to a law enforcement agency.
(e) If the University establishes a police department under this subtitle, the police department shall acknowledge and respond to any recommendations of the University Police Accountability Board within 120 days after receiving the recommendations.

Md. Code, ED § 24-1203

Added by 2019 Md. Laws, Ch. 25,Sec. 2, eff. 7/1/2019.