Changes proposed for the way police are internally investigated

A legislative panel in Maryland is questioning part of the law enforcement officers’ Bill of Rights, which gives a ten day grace period to officers under investigation.

The Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights in Maryland was implemented in the late 1970’s after the Supreme Court ruled that law enforcement officers and other public employees have the right to be free from compulsory self-incrimination.

A part of those rights is called the ten day rule. It applies when an officer is brought under internal investigation and gives the officer that much time to prepare for questioning. 

However now the legislative panel  put together to study police accountability and police community relations in the wake of the Freddie Gray incident  is aiming to change that.

According to Del. Curtis Anderson who co-chairs the panel, the public has questioned if officers are using the grace period to “get their stories straight” or even concoct a fictional story. 

Sgt. George Paugh III, president of the Easton Fraternal Order of Police said that’s simply not the case.

“That ten day period is not, you know, a ten day period for you to hinder the investigation in any way or anything that ten day period is for you obtain the services of an attorney, for your attorney to prepare for your questioning and also for the agency to prepare what question they’re going to ask you,” Paugh said. 

Paugh says that ten day period is needed because attorneys cannot always be reached on the moments notice and it also takes time for some police officers to gather the funds to get representation.

But the Legislative Panel feels 10 days is unnecessarily long and believes that answers need to come out sooner.

Anderson said the panel is currently leaning towards recommending that the grace period be cut down to five days.