The Civilian Review Board has developed a public information plan, the components of which include a brochure, a page on the Mayor's website, public presentations by board members and staff, and news releases and articles. The goal of the plan is to inform citizens 1) what is available to them when they believe they have been victim of, or witness to, acts of excessive force, abusive language, or harassment by any law enforcement officers of Baltimore City covered under the Civilian Review Board legislation, and 2) what process they should follow in such an instance. The Public Information Basic Document is drafted in Q&A format covering the most critical points in the Civilian Review process. Supportive, clarifying information is listed in bullet form with each critical point.
The Civilian Review Board meets the third Thursday
of each month, at 5:30 p.m. at:
Suite 915,
Equitable Building
10 N. Calvert Street Baltimore, Maryland 21202
(410) 396-3141
A permanent, independent agency in Baltimore City that is authorized to process complaints lodged by members of the public who allege abusive language, harassment, or excessive force by members of the Baltimore Police Department. The Civilian Review Board may also review Police Department Policies (make the recommendations to the Commissioner).
Abusive language - harsh,
violent, profane, or derogatory language that would demean the dignity of an individual,
including profanity, racial, ethnic, and sexist slurs.
Excessive force - the use of greater physical force than reasonably necessary to repel an attacker
or terminate resistance, it does not include force that is reasonably necessary
to effect a lawful purpos.
Harassment - repeated, unwarranted verbal
or physical annoyances, or unwarranted threats or unwarranted demands.
False Arrest-
an arrest made without legal justification.
False Imprisonment – the intentional restriction without legal justification of the freedom of movement of a person who is aware of the restriction and who does not consent.
The members of the Civilian Review Board are committed to promoting trust between the citizens of Baltimore and the law enforcement units of this city to assure accountability to the public it serves. By providing citizens with a means to bring complaints against law enforcement officers before a panel of Baltimore citizens, the Board hopes to reduce public reluctance to file complaints, reduce procedural barriers in filing claims, and increase police accountability, thus promoting trust between the citizens of Baltimore and the city's law enforcement officers.
The Board is composed of nine voting members and three non-voting members. The voting members consist of one citizen representative of each of the nine Baltimore police districts. The non-voting members consist of one representative each from the Fraternal Order of Police, the Vanguard Justice Society, and the Baltimore City Police Commissioner. Voting members may not be a current employee of a municipal, county, state, or federal law enforcement agency.
The Mayor of Baltimore, with the approval of the City Council, appoints members for three year terms. Terms are staggered with three members rotating off each year; members cannot serve for more than two full successive terms.
Although the Board was created without a budget, Mayor Martin O'Malley identified funds to hire two professional investigators to assist the Board in gathering information on cases. The staff of the Community Relations Commission provides administrative and clerical support to the Board. The office of the City Solicitor provides legal assistance to the Board.
An individual who claims to have been the victim or witness of an act of abusive language, harassment, or excessive force, or injury allegedly resulting from excessive force caused by a police officer, may file a complaint.
The complainant fills out and signs a form that is witnessed by a notary public, several questions are asked on the form. Some questions on the form are: your name, age, address, date of incident, name of accused officer (if known), place of incident, witnesses to incident, statement of what happened (in your own words). A complainant should bring identification when filing a complaint.
In any of the nine district police stations, or: The Internal Affairs Division of the BPD, 940 Madison St, 410-396-2300 Legal Aid Bureau, 500 E. Lexington Street, 410-539-5340 Maryland Human Relations Commission, 6 St Paul St, 9th Fl. 410-767-8600 Baltimore Community Relations Commission, 10 N. Calvert Street, Suite 915, 410-396-3141
For excessive force you have 90 days from the date of the alleged act. For abusive language and harassment, one year from the date of the alleged act.
A copy of the complaint is sent to each Civilian Review Board member and to the Internal Affairs Division of the Police Department. At this point the Board has three options:
After the investigation is completed, whether by IAD or the Civilian Review Board, the Board must review the investigation and make one of the following recommendations to the Police Commissioner:
Once you file a complaint, it is your responsibility to cooperate with the investigating authority. You should make every effort to keep appointments and to provide information as requested. Remember, your case cannot be processed unless you and your witness(es) are interviewed and sign your statements.
Unlike the Internal Affairs Division of the Baltimore Police Department, the CRB is composed of civilians representing the nine police districts of Baltimore who may either conduct an independent investigation or review the investigation of IAD. The CRB investigators are not part of the Baltimore Police Department.
The board may elect to convene an Inquiry Panel to review a complaint because they 1) want to hear first-hand testimony from a complainant, witness or the accused, 2) need clarification of issue(s), 3) desire to ask specific questions of complainant, witness, or accused, or other reasons. An Inquiry Panel consists of three Board members, one of whom serves as chair. Panel members are appointed by the CRB chair and rotate so that composition of the Panels change and all Board members serve equally. Board members who are not serving on an Inquiry Panel may submit questions for panel members to ask at the Inquiry Panel Meeting.
The final decision making responsibility for discipline in any complaint rests with the Police Commissioner. The Commissioner, however, cannot take final action until he has reviewed the recommendation of the Civilian Review Board.