Annapolis, MD (July 15, 2021) - Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman issued the following statement regarding today’s police hearing board:
“I was disappointed that the trial board did not uphold our former Acting Police Chief’s decision to dismiss Officer Reynolds. No chief makes the decision to dismiss an officer lightly, but our department is very serious about enforcing its policies on the use of excessive force.
The Law Enforcement Officer’s Bill of Rights allows an officer to appeal under these circumstances, and this officer exercised that right. It is the obligation of our department to do even better in our de-escalation training, and to prevent the use of excessive force in the future. Body cameras will help. Training will help. Allowing police chiefs to dismiss officers who do not meet department standards would help as well, and we must work toward that end.”