The Advisory Commission voted to hold a public forum on Monday, March 10, from 7 to 9 p.m. (virtual via Zoom) to focus on Montgomery County’s new consent‑to‑search policy and to invite a representative from the Montgomery County Police Department and council members associated with the policy to explain the change and take public questions.

Commission members settled on a March virtual meeting to avoid winter weather disruptions and to maximize participation. Sherry (commission member) emphasized early publicity and said the consent policy was a timely topic: “I would suggest…we do that sooner rather than later,” she said, arguing the public should understand the new policy and how it affects traffic stops and searches.

Francisco (commission member) urged the commission to invite a police speaker who could explain implementation: “We need to get somebody from NCPD to explain the policy, ideally, the chief of police,” he said. Commissioners agreed to invite Councilmember Will Jawando (who sponsored related legislative efforts), Council Chair Sydney Katz, and the MCPD chief or the chief’s designee. Susan (County Executive’s Office staff) and Logan (staff) will handle invitations and publicity through the county public information office, and commissioners agreed to share the announcement through their networks.

Members discussed format and logistics: a single‑topic virtual meeting was favored to avoid hybrid‑meeting complications and to allow focused briefing followed by public questions. The commission recommended a 7–9 p.m. slot to accommodate working residents and suggested using Zoom with social‑media cross‑posting (for example, migrating the Zoom feed to Facebook) and advance collection of questions. Logan and Susan volunteered to moderate the session unless a commissioner opts to do so.

The commission adopted a motion, moved by Francisco, to schedule the March 10 virtual forum focused on the consent policy and to invite MCPD leadership, Councilmember Jawando (or another council member associated with the policy), and Council Chair Katz; the motion passed by voice vote. The commission asked staff to begin publicity and to circulate the event flyer for commissioner review so members can share it with community groups and council newsletters.