One of the new laws will also require officers to use force only if it is ‘necessary and proportionate’.
The move, a victory for police reform advocates, comes amid a national policing deal following the death of George Floyd, a black man, among Minneapolis police last year. Many states have considered police reform following Floyd’s death.
“Maryland is leading the country in the transformation of our broken police system,” Maryland House of Delegates speaker Adrienne Jones, a Democrat, wrote in a tweet on Saturday. “Now, for the first time in our country’s history, the rights of officers will not be held above the rights of individuals, and policing in Maryland will be transparent and civic.”
Maryland first enacted its Bill of Rights in 1974, and about 20 states have since taken similar measures. Hogan said he should veto the bill to “keep Marylanders safe.”
“These bills will undermine the purpose I believe is by building transparent, accountable and effective law enforcement agencies and rather further undermine police morale, community relations and public trust,” Hogan said in a statement. “It will do great damage to the recruitment and detention of the police, and it will pose significant risks to public safety throughout our country.”
The state part. Vanessa Atterbeary, a Democrat, slammed Hogan in a tweet Friday, saying he “does not stand with black and brown people in the state.”
“He tells Black Marylanders that systemic racism in the police does not exist here. SHAME ON HIM, ”Atterbeary said. “He tells my children and all the other black children in the state that he does NOT care about their future. SHAME ON HIM. SHAME ON HIM. ”