Towson, Maryland — September 15, 2025.
The Baltimore County Sheriff’s Office is operating with a staff vacancy rate as high as 35 percent, severely limiting the agency’s ability to perform routine road patrols and prisoner transport duties, a top official told the Police Accountability Board regarding the September 15 meeting.
Deputy Chief Black, representing the Sheriff’s Office, described a department struggling to maintain basic functions amidst a staffing exodus. He told the board that remaining deputies are largely confined to court security duties rather than field operations.
“We’re doing the same or less work… we’re not on the road very much anymore,” Black told the board. He specifically noted the strain on the department’s ability to transport incarcerated individuals to court, a statutory duty that has become a logistical bottleneck.
The admission comes as Baltimore County officials explore private contracting solutions to manage prisoner transport services previously handled by sworn deputies.
Drone Program Expanding to Randallstown
During the same meeting, Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough announced the expansion of the “Drone as First Responder” (DFR) program. Following its pilot launch in Towson, the surveillance initiative is slated to expand into the Liberty Road corridor and Randallstown.
McCullough stated the drones would primarily be utilized to respond to 911 calls, allowing police to assess scenes remotely before officers arrive. However, community members and board representatives have previously raised questions regarding data privacy and the long-term scope of aerial surveillance in residential districts.
Transparency Concerns Raised
Tensions over data transparency emerged later in the session when Board Member Nigeria Rolling-Ford requested a breakdown of police misconduct complaints by precinct. Rolling-Ford argued that identifying which districts generate the most complaints is essential for targeted reform.
County attorneys advised the board that such data requests must be routed through the Office of Law, effectively delaying the public release of precinct-level misconduct patterns.
Misconduct Review
The Administrative Charging Committee (ACC) reported reviewing 78 cases in the last quarter [56:57]. While many involved minor procedural infractions or departmental vehicle accidents, the committee noted one significant charge against an officer for “failure to accurately document facts in a [police] report” and failing to properly recover & package evidence, charges that rarely make it to the public record.
