University leaders are seeking applicants to join the Johns Hopkins University Police Accountability Board, which is charged with helping to shape the development and operation of the Johns Hopkins Police Department (JHPD). The board plays a pivotal role in advising the university as it continues to develop the policies and procedures needed for the launch of the JHPD in 2023.
The deadline to apply is Oct. 9, 2023; applications can be completed online.
The 15-member accountability board was started in 2019 as part of the Community Safety and Strengthening Act, the state law authorizing the JHPD.
By statute, board members are charged with sharing community feedback directly with JHPD leadership, reviewing JHPD metrics involving crime, and assessing current and prospective department policies, procedures, and training in order to provide recommendations for improvement.
The board is composed of five community members not affiliated with JHU and10 students, faculty members, and staff. JHU representatives are drawn from across the three campuses where the JHPD will operate—East Baltimore, Homewood, and Peabody—and include at least one member from the Johns Hopkins Black Faculty and Staff Association. Baltimore community members also represent these three areas where the JHPD may patrol.
The Baltimore City Council President will fill one vacancy on the board; the others, selected through a formal application process, will consist of four JHU students, one faculty member, and two staff members.
Applications submitted by the Oct. 9 deadline will be reviewed by a nominating committee of Baltimore City community members, students, faculty, and staff, who will develop a list of recommended nominees for consideration by university leadership. University leaders will announce the new nominees in December. In 2024, they will send the list of nominees to the Maryland State Senate for consideration and confirmation during the legislative session.
The membership of the board reflects Johns Hopkins' dedication to empowering diverse people, ideas, and experiences. Accountability board members will be expected to share a respect for diversity and a commitment to working across differences to ensure the JHPD is successful and effective and lives up to its promise to be the most progressive, accountable university police department in the nation.
The board meets at least quarterly and holds at least one public meeting each year to seek input on JHPD policies, procedures, and training from community members of Baltimore City, with meeting minutes posted on a website available to the public.
Non-student members must have significant ties to the Baltimore City community through residency and be willing to serve a two-year term from June 1, 2024 – May 31, 2026. Student members must be willing to serve a one-year term from June 1, 2024 – May 31, 2025, and must be enrolled at one of JHU's East Baltimore, Peabody, or Homewood campuses during the duration of their term.
More information on the accountability board—including agendas, minutes, recordings of past meetings, and a list of current members—can be found on the Johns Hopkins Public Safety website.
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