By AFRO Staff

The Johns Hopkins University Police Accountability Board, a crucial element of the effort to make the future Johns Hopkins Police Department a model of transparent, accountable, and community-oriented policing is pleased to announce that they are now accepting applications.   

Although, the development of the JHPD is still in its early stages, they seek to convene the Accountability Board to ensure that the values and commitments of the Johns Hopkins University and Medicine are deeply embedded in the department from its inception. Based on community feedback and research into the best practices among police departments nationally, the establishment of the Accountability Board was recommended in their Interim Study on Approaches to Improving Public Safety on and around Johns Hopkins Campuses, and the Maryland General Assembly incorporated it in the law that authorized the creation of the JHPD.

The Accountability Board, unique both in Maryland and throughout the country, is designed to empower the Johns Hopkins community and its neighbors to help shape the development and operation of the JHPD. Its members will be charged with sharing community concerns directly with department leadership, reviewing police department metrics, and assessing current and prospective department policies, procedures, and training in order to provide recommendations for improvement. More broadly, the Accountability Board will serve as a mechanism for transparency, ensuring that JHPD and university leadership follow the letter and spirit of the law, and will, in doing so, foster the success and effectiveness of the JHPD.

The Accountability Board will be composed of five community members unaffiliated with the university and 10 Johns Hopkins University students, faculty members, and staff, including at least one member of the Johns Hopkins Black Faculty and Staff Association, drawn from across the three campuses where the future JHPD will operate. The guidance, diverse perspectives, and thoughtful critiques of the Accountability Board members will be instrumental to the success of the Johns Hopkins Police Department. 

Additional information about eligibility requirements, application instructions, and the Nominating Committee members is on the Public Safety Initiatives website with a comment box available to send your ideas and feedback. The deadline to apply is November 20, 2019.