Top Officials Resign from Unit that Investigates Police-Involved Death Cases in MD

Following weeks without charges in police-involved death cases and a dismissed indictment, the chief and deputy chief of the Independent Investigations Division of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office have resigned, according to the office.

IID Chief Allison Green and Deputy Chief Renee Joy will remain in office until the end of the week, said Jennifer Dolan, a spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office. A job listing was posted for the division chief position on the attorney general’s website today.

“Jonathan Smith, chief of our Civil Rights Division, will serve as interim chief of the IID while a robust search for new leadership is underway,” Dolan said in a statement. “The division remains under the strategic oversight of Deputy Attorney General Carrie Williams and continues its important work without interruption.”

Green and Joy’s resignations come weeks after a case by the IID — the first prosecution of an officer by the division since it was established in 2021 — was thrown out.

The IID had indicted Anne Arundel County police Cpls. Eddie Vasquez and Kieran Schnell for misconduct, alleging the officers drove around civilian vehicles at 100 mph while pursuing a suspect in December 2023.

The vehicle they chased crashed and killed a 22-year-old passenger, according to the Attorney General’s Office.

Anne Arundel County Circuit Judge Stacy McCormack dismissed the case in September, ruling that the Attorney General’s Office failed to ensure attorneys could not access compelled statements by the defendants. Compelled statements, which are required by law, cannot be used in criminal prosecutions. [MORE]