Police Accountability Task Force of Howard County
About the Task Force
The Police Accountability Task Force of Howard County (PATF-HoCo) is a group of like-minded community activists who are all long-term residents of the county. We organized in the summer of 2020, following the murder of George Floyd, to take action within Howard County to address issues and concerns around racial inequality/disparities in policing.
Our focus has been on two issues: (i) the implementation of a Body-Worn Camera Program at the Howard County Police Department; and (ii) the establishment of a new HoCo Police Accountability Board by the County Executive and the County Council.
PATF-HoCo is led by a steering committee consisting of the following members: Jacqueline Akinpelu, Mark Booker, Bill Cozzo, Angie Page, and Ted Stewart. We are excited to be working with many significant community organizations in our county who share our objectives.
Our 2023 Priorities
In 2023 we are continuing our advocacy to improve police accountability in Howard County. Our priorities are:
Annual reporting of data related to law enforcement performance available to the public.
Enhanced powers for the Police Accountability Board.
Payment for service on the Administrative Charging Committee.
Reversal of the Police Body Worn Camera Program policy to allow officers involved in a critical incident (i.e., shooting or other use of force incident) to view BWC footage before being interviewed or writing a report.
See Our 2023 Priorities for more details.
PATF-HoCo IS ACTIVELY SEEKING VOLUNTEERS TO ASSIST US WITH OUR MISSION. All volunteer help is welcome, even if you can give only a couple of hours a month. If you are interested in eliminating racial disparities in community policing, please contact us to learn more about our future campaigns and the volunteer opportunities we have available. Our email contact is: PATF.HoCo@GMail.com
Our Prior Campaigns (Click on campaign link for the latest update)
PATF-HoCo advocated for the implementation of a Howard County police body-worn camera (BWC) program and a best-practice BWC policy. After a concerted PATF-HoCo campaign, the BWC program was funded and approved for implementation in Howard County for FY2022.
PATF-HoCo researched BWC policy best practices and developed a set of key considerations for the effective implementation of a BWC program, which we shared with the County’s law enforcement leadership.
The County Executive introduced CB 83-2021 in October 2021 to establish a Police Accountability Board (PAB) for Howard County. This initial bill was seriously flawed. PATF-HoCo took on a leadership advocacy role to improve the bill. Due to our successful engagement with members of the County Council, several corrective amendments were introduced and adopted in February 2022 that better positioned the PAB to promote police accountability and transparency.
Coalition of Citizens and Community Organization Supporters
African American Coalition of Howard County
African American Community Roundtable
American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland
Chinese American Network for Diversity and Opportunity
Columbia Democratic Club
Howard County Citizens Association
Howard County Coalition for Immigrant Justice
Indivisible Howard County
Progressive Democrats of Howard County
Progressive Maryland
Our Coalition Partners represent an important group of community organizations who are advocates for a diverse array of progressive causes and viewpoints. PATF-HoCo does not automatically endorse all views and opinions of our Coalition Partners. Although our missions may be different, PATF-HoCo is grateful for the unwavering support we've received in regards to advancing accountability and transparency in community policing.