Bill to ask Baltimore voters to decide local control of city police department advances in Maryland legislature

Baltimore politicians have reached an agreement on state legislation that would let city voters decide whether Baltimore should take full control of its police department for the first time in more than 160 years. The proposal, which would put the issue of local control to Baltimore voters in either 2022 or 2024, enjoys widespread support. But it stalled in the House of Delegates amid disagreements among city politicians over how to structure the transition, with the Baltimore City Council at odds with Democratic Mayor Brandon Scott’s administration over a proposed advisory board that would steer the process.