He says lawmakers do no want to enact policies that could further harm officers
Annapolis, MD (KB) The 2021 Legislative Session is ramping up in Annapolis. That’s according to Frederick County Delegate Jesse Pippy.
“We have a second session, which will probably be dedicated to police reform, which is probably one of the biggest items we’re dealing with this year,” stated Pippy.
Pippy said he wants the best and brightest in law enforcement.
“Sometimes reform can be good, but we don’t want to enact any policies that would further harm our law enforcement partners,” Pippy explained.
He said Maryland was the first state in the country to enact the law enforcement officers’ bill of rights. Pippy said this was to establish an administrative process in case a problem arose.
“That protection, it doesn’t protect them from if they commit a crime, it doesn’t protect them if they have used excessive force,” he said. “They are still liable for anything they do that’s illegal.”
According to Pippy, Frederick County has been regarded a safe community due to “world class” law enforcement agencies.
“As a matter of fact, there were some statistics that just came out in the past couple weeks where Frederick County has actually sustained a reduction in violent crime,” he explained.
Also regarding police reform, legislators are expected to discuss no-knock warrants.
Several police reform bills passed the State Senate last week. It underwent some extensive changes before it went to the House of Delegates on Wednesday.