Police Shootings / Possible Abuse Threads [merged]

CALVERT COUNTY, MD – A legal dispute over access to public records in Calvert County has ended in a settlement, as the Maryland Board of Public Works and the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office agreed to resolve a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Maryland. The lawsuit challenged the Sheriff’s Office over the use of high fees to deny access to public records related to invasive police searches.

Under the terms of the settlement, the Sheriff’s Office will provide the ACLU with all requested records from 2020 through 2024 without charge. Additionally, the Sheriff’s Office will pay $35,000 in legal fees incurred by the ACLU during the litigation process.

This resolution follows rulings by both the Circuit Court and the Appellate Court of Maryland, which rejected the Sheriff’s arguments and underscored the importance of transparency and public accountability.

The ACLU filed the lawsuit in 2022, seeking documents under the Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) that detailed invasive searches conducted by Calvert County Sheriff’s deputies. Community members alleged that the searches disproportionately targeted Black residents, prompting the ACLU to investigate...........

https://southernmarylandchronicle.c...ms of the,ACLU during the litigation process.