John Bartlett, chairman of the Police Accountability Board, presented the board’s 2024 annual report to the Caroline County commissioners on Jan. 28 and said the report had been submitted to the county before Dec. 31, 2024.

Bartlett said the report collates activity between the ACC and PAB and lists calls for service and complaint activity across local law enforcement agencies. He reported that the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office logged more than 25,000 calls for service during the reporting period and that the ACC
authorized or investigated six complaints against the agency; those complaints were reported as either unfounded or exonerated and were forwarded to the PAB, Bartlett said. He also said the town of Denton reported roughly 11,000 calls for service with zero complaints in the same period, per the report.

Bartlett told commissioners that the PAB and ACC received a state grant of about $153,000 to support accountability-related expenses including security, software and body-worn cameras. “The grant money that we received was a 153,000 plus,” Bartlett said.

Commissioners thanked board members for their work and Bartlett said printed copies of the report were available for members of the public.

Why this matters: The PAB and ACC function under state law to review complaints and oversee accountability-related processes. The report provides an overview of call and complaint activity, and the grant-funded purchases noted in the report reflect county-level investment in public-safety technology and oversight.

What the meeting recorded: the board presented the report; commissioners expressed appreciation; there was no vote or county action recorded on the report during the meeting.