Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman selected Howard County attorney and recent political candidate Janssen Evelyn as the first-ever executive director of the county’s recently formed police accountability board.
The board is a state-mandated body designed to log complaints against police officers that each jurisdiction in Maryland was required to form by July 1. County law requires it to have an executive director and administrative secretary. In his role as executive director, Evelyn will supervise the board, maintain records, facilitate board processes and select an administrative secretary.
At a Tuesday news conference, Pittman said it was important that the executive director be an experienced attorney, one reason Evelyn was a perfect fit for the job.
“It was a clear choice,” Pittman said. “Janssen has worked both in law and in government and has a life history that also I think makes him ideal for this position.”
In addition to his legal work, most recently with the Baltimore law firm Baker Donelson, Evelyn has a decade of experience in local and state government. He’s served as assistant chief administrative officer for Howard County and in the county’s Office of Law. He also held positions in Prince George’s County including as associate county attorney.
Evelyn served on statewide bodies including as vice chair of the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights. He was born in Barbados and raised in Maryland.
While it wasn’t Pittman’s plan to select an executive director from outside Anne Arundel County, he said Evelyn stood out among the nine people who applied.
“We’ve got someone who really understands government, really understands policing, really understands the law and also is involved in the community,” Pittman said. “I’m thrilled with this decision.”
Eight of the nine board members, all required to be from Anne Arundel County, were selected by the county executive and approved by the council in late June. The ninth member of the board, Annapolis resident Sharon Elliott was nominated by Mayor Gavin Buckley in July.
Pittman’s team interviewed applicants for the executive director role and finished with a group assessment from notable county leaders across party lines including Republican County Council member Amanda Fiedler, Democratic County Council member Lisa Rodvien and representatives from the Fraternal Order of Police, the police community relations councils, the NAACP, the Caucus of African-American Leaders, the Immigrant Affairs Commission, the faith community, the city of Annapolis and Pittman’s chief of staff and chief administrative officer.
“I was drawn to this role because of the opportunity to institutionalize police reform, improve accountability and strengthen relationships between public safety and the communities they protect and serve. We cannot and we must not forget why we are here,” Evelyn said during the news conference, citing unprecedented public protests in the summer of 2020 following a series of killings of Americans of color by police. It was after those killings that the statewide law to create police accountability boards was passed by the Maryland legislature.
Evelyn takes on this role after losing his primary race for the Howard County Council District 4 seat to incumbent Democrat Deb Jung by just over 200 votes. He starts immediately in the new position and will be paid $165,000, according to county spokesperson Jeff Amoros.
“This is a very important position,” Pittman said. “The police accountability board is state mandated but it’s something I have great optimism will grow trust, increase transparency and will make our community safer.”
The board’s next meeting is Monday.
