Md. County to Review Police Handcuffing Policies After Crisis Team Leader Reassigned

An Anne Arundel County work group is reviewing the police department’s restraint policies after the reassignment of the leader of the department’s renowned Crisis Intervention Team fueled debate about cuffing procedures. Democratic County Executive Steuart Pittman announced late last week that the group will evaluate crisis protocols for police.

The group will discuss the police department’s policies for handcuffing, officer safety, public safety, dignity and de-escalation, Pittman said in a news release issued Friday. It will publish a report that outlines the group’s work, the Crisis Intervention Team’s future, and “any updates or clarifications” to the police department’s restraint policies, the news release states.

News of the work group’s creation follows leadership changes within the Crisis Intervention Team, which were first reported by The Baltimore Banner.

Anne Arundel County Police told the Capital Gazette on Monday that 30-year department veteran Lt. Steven Thomas is no longer heading the county’s award-winning Crisis Intervention Team. Thomas has been assigned to the Bureau of Community Services, the department said.

Justin Mulcahy, a spokesperson for the department, said in an email that Thomas is temporarily assigned to the Arundel Mills Entertainment District.

Mulcahy declined to comment on why Thomas’ role within the department has changed, saying that the police department does not “routinely respond to personnel-related matters.”

Mulcahy said Thomas’ transfer was made effective Feb. 26.

O’Brien Atkinson, the president of the county’s police union, said that before the transfer, Thomas had been disciplined by the department for telling officers they could use discretion when it comes to handcuffing those experiencing a mental health crisis.

According to the police department’s policies, people taken into custody, including those “with mental health issues,” should, “at a minimum,” be handcuffed.

Atkinson said he didn’t know the details of why Thomas was moved out of the Crisis Intervention Team, but he said it was possible that the discipline had something to do with it.

In his email, Mulcahy declined to comment on the discipline Atkinson alleges Thomas received, calling it a personnel-related matter.

Atkinson said it is within the department’s rights to transfer an officer to a different unit. “And I think they decided, from a departmental perspective, that was the right thing to do,” he said about Thomas’ move.

Thomas, who is one of four Democrats running for the District 32 Maryland House of Delegates seat this year, declined to comment Monday on his position with the department.

International acclaim

Since 2014, the Crisis Intervention Team has brought law enforcement and behavioral health personnel together with the goal of providing a more care-focused response to mental health crises. The team has worked to divert people in crisis away from the criminal justice system.

In 2024, the team was awarded a platinum-level certification by CIT International, an organization that assesses a police agency’s adherence to its best practices on a four-level scale, from bronze to platinum. In 2020, the team was recognized as the International Crisis Intervention Team of the Year.

Atkinson said officer training in how to approach mental health is important. He said the Anne Arundel County Police Department has “embraced” that over the years.

Thomas is a “revered” officer, Atkinson said, adding that the department has recognized Thomas’ work and “made it very clear that they appreciate the service that he provided.”

“He definitely took the Crisis Intervention Team to all new levels, to the point that they’re internationally recognized,” Atkinson said.

A new role

According to the county’s news release, after three decades with the police department, Thomas plans to retire “later this year.”

The release states that the work group will include Thomas and other county representatives from the police department, Mental Health Agency, Department of Health and Office of Law.

“Lt. Thomas is a hero to thousands of families in our county who have faced trauma and crisis,” Pittman said in the release. “His expertise will be critical as we review the policies that impact the work of our CIT. I am grateful for his commitment to our county, and that in his retirement he will continue to advocate for those families.”

In an email, Gabby Reed, a spokesperson for the county, said Pittman created the work group in response to “recent concerns” about police department restraint policies involving people experiencing mental health crises.

Pittman said in the release that he is confident the county “will continue to deliver the high-quality, respectful, and compassionate policing practices that Anne Arundel County has become known for.”

Anne Arundel County Mental Health Agency Crisis Response Director Jen Corbin said that since Thomas’ transfer, her team has been sending out two clinicians, rather than one clinician and one Crisis Intervention Team officer for services.

Corbin said some of her team’s collaboration with the police department is on hold to respect the department’s handcuff policies. She said handcuffs can be necessary in some cases involving mental health crises. But in other cases, she said, the cuffs can do more harm than good.

Corbin said Crisis Response wants to meet people where they are.

Atkinson said that creating a work group to discuss the use of handcuffs in these cases is a good idea. But, he said, he believes the work group will side with using handcuffs rather than using discretion when it comes to cuffing.

“Handcuffing is the least invasive restraint that we have at our disposal,” Atkinson said. “Handcuffing is important because you never know when somebody’s going to have an episode and react in a violent manner toward the officer who has them in their custody.”

Mulcahy said the police department supports the work group to review the Crisis Intervention Team and related police department policies.

“We remain committed to providing safe, effective, and respectful care during mental health responses,” he said in an email.

The county’s release states that residents in crisis can continue to call the county’s Crisis Warmline, available 24/7 at 410-768-5522.

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