Montgomery County police recruitment and staffing levels remain a concern at start of 2025

ROCKVILLE, Md. - Montgomery County leaders are looking at revising rules on past cannabis use to help with police recruitment and staffing levels.

In a briefing with reporters this week, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said overall crime in the county decreased 7% in Montgomery County. There were 19 homicides in 2024, down from 29 in 2023. Shootings were down 19% and there were decreases in property crimes, motor vehicle thefts, and carjackings.

One of the biggest concerns moving forward remains police staffing levels, Elrich said. 

"Currently, we have 166 sworn officer positions vacant and a wave of anticipated retirements facing us in 2025. To address this, we have increased officer pay, introduced a $20,000 signing bonus, and a hired a firm to assist with recruitment," he said.

Elrich added, the county is also trying to address other "impediments" in the recruiting process, including past cannabis use. Despite being legal in the state, cannabis use is listed as one of the seven background disqualifiers for police officer candidates in Montgomery County.

"No controlled dangerous substance use within three years of application (including marijuana)," the website states.

In comparison, D.C. police require recruits to be marijuana-free for three months before applying.

"Interestingly, past cannabis use is not a consideration in Virginia so officers who can’t work in Virginia go across the river to Fairfax County where they can work," Elrich said.

According to Montgomery County Chief Marc Yamada, it would take about 1,300 officers total for the department to be at full staff.

"MCPD has a ratio of 1 to 1. One officer for every 1,000 residents. The national average is 2.5 officers for every thousand. So even if we were fully staffed, we’d still be below that optimal level," Yamada said in December. 

Elrich said a letter has been to Governor Wes Moore regarding past cannabis use and recruitment. 

"And [I] look forward to discussing with the Maryland police standards and training commission in January. Thus far, this group is opposed to making the changes that we need," he said.

The commission did not return a request from FOX 5 Wednesday. A spokesperson from Governor Moore’s office provided the following statement:

"Governor Moore’s top priority is the safety of all Marylanders, and that includes making sure we recruit and retrain qualified individuals to serve as police officers to protect the people of our state. Currently, the governor is reviewing the letter from Montgomery County Executive Elrich, and will work in coordination with county and state officials to determine the best approach to addressing the concerns regarding the statewide police certification standards. "