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Recommendations to PAB

Recommendations to PAB

PATF-HoCo Recommends Improvements in Communicating with the Public to Howard County Police Accountability Board (PAB)


At the May 20, 2026 Howard County Police Accountability Board (PAB) meeting, Chairperson Hutt indicated an interest in improving the ways that the PAB communicates with the public.


On May 29, 2026, the PATF-HoCo respectfully submitted the following suggestions to the PAB with hopes of advancing accountability and transparency through improved two-way communications between the PAB and the Public.


1. The PAB should allow for comments, suggestions, and questions from the public in a

designated segment at every PAB meeting

  • Members of the public should be able to reserve a speaking slot in advance.

  • PAB should constructively engage in dialogue with the members of the public and

respond to comments, suggestions, and questions.


Representatives from Howard County Law Enforcement Departments are warmly welcomed to enter into dialogue at PAB meetings, but the public is not regularly invited to do the same. This suggestion remedies that imbalance. Communications that truly build community trust and collaboration are improved if they are a respectful, two-way dialogue instead of an infrequent, one-way flow of information.


PATF-HoCo believes this suggestion is consistent with the PAB’s Rules of Procedure Section 1.04, Part I., subsection ii.


2. The PAB should hold an annual meeting with the public in each of the 5 council districts

The PAB can hear district-specific concerns of the public and brief the public directly to describe how the PAB’s activities improve policing, and advance accountability and transparency.


PATF-HoCo believes this suggestion is consistent with the PAB’s Rules of Procedure Section 1.04, Part A.


3. The PAB should publish all data received by the PAB from HCPD / HCSD on the PAB website

  • Data is released on the PAB website

  • PAB’s analysis, conclusions, and response is also released on the website.


PAB data requests are not simply “nice to have”. Data should inform the PAB on a matter of importance in support of the objective to advance the quality of policing through improved accountability and transparency. When the PAB receives data from Howard County Law Enforcement Departments, it should be made easily available to the residents / citizens / taxpayers who paid for it to be gathered, assembled, and delivered. The data should be accompanied by the PAB’s:


  • Reason for requesting the data (i.e. how does the PAB advance transparency and accountability, and improve policing, by having the data),

  • Assessment of the provided data for the purpose of satisfying the reason it was requested (i.e. was the data responsive, complete, useful, etc.), and

  • Intended course of action based on the data. (i.e. now that the PAB has learned the data, what will it do with, and about, it?)


PATF-HoCo believes this suggestion is consistent with the PAB’s Rules of Procedure Section 1.05, Part B, subsection ii.


The unpaid volunteer citizens of PATF-HoCo offer the PAB our collaboration to discuss these suggestions and applaud any steps that the PAB takes to improve communications with the public.

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