The Baltimore County Delegation of the Maryland legislature gave House Bill 1475, the “Correctional Officers Bill of Rights,” a favorable vote March 15.
Baltimore County Federation of Public Employees (BCFPE) president John Ripley and Retired Correctional Lt. Mike Craig testified before the Baltimore County Delegation March 8 in support of that bill. House Bill 1475 proposes that a fair and equitable administrative process involving investigation, interrogation, and the imposition of discipline and appeals procedures be adopted for the correctional officers for Baltimore County. At present, correctional officers in Cecil, Garret, and St. Mary’s counties utilize such procedures.
The expansion of the “bill of rights” to Baltimore County will mean that correctional officers there will benefit from more equitable and professional disciplinary procedures. The bill now goes to the House Appropriations Committee where, on March 26, it will receive further consideration.