Members Chosen For Police Accountability Board

By law, Anne Arundel County had to create a Police Accountability Board (PAB) by July 1. The following new members were chosen from a pool of 89 options and approved during a county council meeting on June 25.

• Shawn Ashworth, educator and nonprofit leader
• Barney Gomez, retired special agent and Vietnam veteran
• Kymberly Jackson, attorney and law professor
• Sarah Kivett, employee conduct investigator and former law enforcement officer
• Kenneth Moore, pastor, professor, and retired firefighter
• Jeanette Ortiz (chair), law and education policy expert
• Daniel Watkins, board-certified nurse executive and behavioral health professional
• Anne Williams-Kinard, local business owner

During the 2021 General Assembly session, the Maryland legislature passed House Bill 670, mandating that counties establish PABs. The boards are designed to provide policy advice through meetings with law enforcement agencies, review disciplinary matters stemming from public complaints, receive complaints of police misconduct filed by members of the public, and more.

The PABS will replace the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights, which guaranteed certain procedural safeguards to law enforcement officers.