Maryland
Maryland is the only U.S. state to mandate a civilian Police Accountability Board (PAB) and an Administrative Charging Committee (ACC) in every county. HB 670 (2021), the Maryland Police Accountability Act, also repealed the Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights and brought sheriff's offices into scope alongside county and municipal police departments.
State context
Md. Code, Pub. Safety § 3-201 defines "law enforcement agency" to include sheriff's offices, so PAB and ACC jurisdiction extends to sheriff deputies in every county. Sheriffs personally (along with police chiefs and assistant chiefs) are excluded from the discipline matrix as elected or appointed executives, but their deputies are not.
Each PAB receives complaints, forwards them to the relevant LE agency for investigation, then refers the completed investigation to the county's ACC. The ACC is a 5-member civilian body (PAB chair or designee + 2 PAB-appointed + 2 county-executive-appointed) that reviews investigations and recommends discipline. The final disciplinary decision rests with the head of the LE agency.
Coverage is uneven: PABs are operational statewide, but powers are weak — none have subpoena authority, and discipline remains advisory. As of May 2026, 15 of the 23 counties have local ordinances detailed enough for this site; the remaining 8 are mandated by state law but their local implementations have not yet been verified.
Counties
| # | County | Oversight body | LE capability | Independence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Anne Arundel | Anne Arundel County Police Accountability Board | 18/40 | 55/100 |
| 02 | Baltimore | Baltimore County Police Accountability Board | 18/40 | 53/100 |
| 03 | Calvert | Calvert County Police Accountability Board | 18/40 | 53/100 |
| 04 | Carroll | Carroll County Police Accountability Board | 18/40 | 48/100 |
| 05 | Charles | Charles County Police Accountability Board | 18/40 | 47/100 |
| 06 | Frederick | Frederick County Police Accountability Board | 18/40 | 47/100 |
| 07 | Garrett | Garrett County Police Accountability Board | 18/40 | 55/100 |
| 08 | Harford | Harford County Police Accountability Board | 18/40 | 55/100 |
| 09 | Howard | Howard County Police Accountability Board | 18/40 | 55/100 |
| 10 | Montgomery | Montgomery County Police Accountability Board | 18/40 | 53/100 |
| 11 | Prince George's | Prince George's County Police Accountability Board | 18/40 | 55/100 |
| 12 | Talbot | Talbot County Police Accountability Board | 18/40 | 53/100 |
| 13 | Washington | Washington County Police Accountability Board | 18/40 | 53/100 |
| 14 | Wicomico | Wicomico County Police Accountability Board | 18/40 | 42/100 |
| 15 | Worcester | Worcester County Police Accountability Board | 18/40 | 53/100 |
| No oversight body established | ||||
| 16 | Allegany | — | — | — |
| 17 | Baltimore city | — | — | — |
| 18 | Caroline | — | — | — |
| 19 | Cecil | — | — | — |
| 20 | Dorchester | — | — | — |
| 21 | Kent | — | — | — |
| 22 | Queen Anne's | — | — | — |
| 23 | Somerset | — | — | — |
| 24 | St. Mary's | — | — | — |