In a report on the Baltimore police union contract and the Maryland Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights, Sam Walker argues that both have provisions that shield police officers from meaningful investigations and impede accountability.

Both the contract and the state law provide that an officer suspected of misconduct cannot be interviewed by the department for ten days. (Other jurisdictions have 48-hour delay provisions.) Walker calls the delay “unreasonable” by any standard. The emerging standard in policing is that officers should give a statement to his or her immediate supervisor on the scene of an incident or at least before the end of the shift.

The Baltimore police union contact and the state law also allow an officer to have expunged from his or her record any and all unfounded complaints. This is contrary to the principles of Early Intervention Systems (EIS), which are designed to capture as complete as possible a full picture of each officer’s performance.

Read the Walker report here:  BALTIMORE POLICE UNION CONTRACTFinal  Read the Baltimore Sun story (which also has the report): http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-walker-bpd-report-20150524-story.html#page=1

Walker also gave testimony to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission regarding 48-hour delays in investigations. Read the testimony here: SUPPLEMENTAL TESTIMONY