MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — The Montgomery County Department of Police made a major announcement on Friday about changes to the way they train their officers and how they will take care of them.
County Executive of Montgomery County Marc Elrich ordered a top to bottom review of the police department by an independent organization more than two years ago. This was before George Floyd was killed and sparked a worldwide protest and movement.
"We did not get woke when George Floyd happened," Elrich said. "We understood that we has issues in the police department we needed to deal with and we started on this project early on."
Effective Law Enforcement For All is the national non-profit organization that conducted the review.
Some of the main focal points they looked into include use of force, how officers respond to mental health crisis, and officer well-being.
The headline from the review is that Montgomery County Police Department is a 'high performing organization' but there is opportunity for improvement, and those improvements are essential to keeping pace with a changing world and the community's expectations.
And Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones says he knows those expectations are high.
"Montgomery County is a special place," Jones said. "The community is really engaged and I also want to emphasize Montgomery County Police Department is a part of this community. There is no us versus them."
The chief said his department is already implementing some of the recommended changes including a new de-escalation training for officers. They are also working with mental health crisis experts on better ways for officers in those kinds of situations or not respond at all if other resources are available and better fit.
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