EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb0618*
HOUSE BILL 618
E4 4lr2939
HB 308/23 – APP CF SB 380
By: Delegates Munoz and Toles
Introduced and read first time: January 25, 2024
Assigned to: Appropriations
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
Police Recruitment and Retention Workgroup 2
FOR the purpose of establishing the Police Recruitment and Retention Workgroup to study 3
issues and factors potentially contributing to the decline in police retention 4
statewide; and generally relating to the Police Recruitment and Retention 5
Workgroup. 6
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 7
That: 8
(a) There is a Police Recruitment and Retention Workgroup. 9
(b) The Workgroup consists of the following members: 10
(1) one member of the Senate of Maryland, appointed by the Chair of the 11
Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee; 12
(2) one member of the House of Delegates, appointed by the Chair of the 13
House Judiciary Committee; 14
(3) the Secretary of the Department of State Police, or the Secretary’s 15
designee; 16
(4) the Public Defender, or the Public Defender’s designee; 17
(5) the Attorney General, or the Attorney General’s designee; 18
(6) the President of the Maryland State’s Attorneys’ Association, or the 19
President’s designee; 20
2 HOUSE BILL 618
(7) the President of the Maryland Chiefs of Police Association, or the 1
President’s designee; 2
(8) one member with expertise in the field of effective policing, designated 3
by the President of the Fraternal Order of Police; 4
(9) the Executive Director of the Maryland Commission on Criminal 5
Sentencing Policy, or the Executive Director’s designee; 6
(10) the following members, appointed by the Governor: 7
(i) one representative of the Fraternal Order of Police; 8
(ii) one representative from the National Association for the 9
Advancement of Colored People; and 10
(iii) one citizen representative; 11
(11) the following members, appointed by the Maryland Association of 12
Counties: 13
(i) one representative of a police department for an urban county; 14
and 15
(ii) one representative of a sheriff’s office for a rural county; and 16
(12) the following members, appointed by the Maryland Municipal League: 17
(i) one representative of a police department for an urban 18
municipality; and 19
(ii) one representative of a police department for a rural 20
municipality. 21
(c) The Governor shall designate the chair of the Workgroup. 22
(d) The Department of State Police shall provide staff for the Workgroup. 23
(e) A member of the Workgroup: 24
(1) may not receive compensation as a member of the Workgroup; but 25
(2) is entitled to reimbursement for expenses under the Standard State 26
Travel Regulations, as provided in the State budget. 27
HOUSE BILL 618 3
(f) The Workgroup shall identify and examine issues and factors potentially 1
contributing to recruitment challenges and the decline in police officer retention statewide, 2
including: 3
(1) the number of police officers retiring annually; 4
(2) the number of cadets completing police academy training annually; 5
(3) training hour requirements for police officers; 6
(4) police training academy acceptance requirements; 7
(5) recruitment techniques; 8
(6) requirements for advancement within police departments; 9
(7) the impact of current State and local laws on policing and police 10
departments; 11
(8) current salary ranges, health benefits, and retirement benefits for 12
police officers statewide; 13
(9) to the extent that information is available: 14
(i) the migration of police officers between departments; 15
(ii) the attrition rates of newly certified police officers; 16
(iii) the average length of active service for police officers; and 17
(iv) the number of actively employed police officers who have retired 18
from another police department in State or local government; and 19
(10) perceptions of the occupation among potential recruits. 20
(g) The Workgroup shall: 21
(1) explore recruitment and retention strategies used successfully in other 22
states and countries; 23
(2) design a statewide joint apprenticeship and training council including 24
multiple departments and unions to operate a police–registered apprenticeship beginning 25
in high school; and 26
(3) provide recommendations for reviewing the decline in police retention 27
statewide. 28
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(h) On or before December 30, 2025, the Workgroup shall report its findings and 1
recommendations to the Governor and, in accordance with § 2 –1257 of the State 2
Government Article, the General Assembly. 3
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, T hat this Act shall take effect July 4
1, 2024. It shall remain effective for a period of 2 years and, at the end of June 30, 2026, 5
this Act, with no further action required by the General Assembly, shall be abrogated and 6
of no further force and effect. 7