There are 44 individuals from police agencies serving Montgomery County included on a list of officers who may have “credibility issues” and may not be ideal choices to testify in court. The agencies are the Montgomery County Police Department, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Metro Transit Police, Rockville City Police Department and Takoma Park Police Department.
The names of the officers listed can be obtained by requesting a Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA). The names, location of where they work or worked or whether they are active or retired is listed.
The State’s Attorney’s Office in Montgomery County is not recommending that these officers not be used to testify, according to a spokesperson. They are not on a “do not call list,” per the spokesperson. Instead, the spokesperson says, they are making it public that it has concerns about officers on the list when it comes to “truth, veracity and bias.”
The General Assembly on Oct. 1 passed Anton’s Law which declassified police administrative and criminal misconduct records. Therefore, the State’s Attorney’s Office in Montgomery County is required to release the names of officers who may have credibility issues if called to testify in court.
Of the 44 officers, some have resigned or retired in the past five years.
The Montgomery County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 35, the union representing Montgomery County officers, said in a statement, “It’s important to remember that the State’s Attorney’s office currently support the testimony from almost all MCPD officers on this list.”
Union members expressed concern that currently there is no way for officers to remove themselves from this list, and being on the list can damage their career.
