Ethics and accountability commission closer to finalizing recommendations for Baltimore County watchdog

The commission tasked with evaluating the office of Baltimore County’s top watchdog presented preliminary recommendations Tuesday night ahead of a January deadline to produce a report for the County Council about the office’s work examining county ethics laws and practices. Members of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Ethics and Accountability floated recommendations about policies that included how interviews are conducted with potential investigative subjects, who should reimburse the legal costs of county employees who retain lawyers when being interviewed, and codifying whistleblower protections as part of its work assisting the office of Baltimore County Inspector General Kelly Madigan.