Baltimore, MD (WBFF) - A police sergeant convicted of Second degree assault and misconduct in office remains a member of the Baltimore Police Department nearly two years after the incident.
This is the sort of case supporter of police reform have pointed to as an example of why reform is needed.
Sergeant Marlon Koushall received a sixteen year suspended sentence after he was convicted of second degree assault and misconduct in office.
Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby said||
“We got justice for a police officer, a woman who was assaulted by her colleague.”
The female police officer was assaulted two years ago this month.
In March ACLU of Maryland Senior Staff Attorney David Rocah spoke to Fox45 in after a similar case surfaced within the BPD.
Rocah said||
“Because all of the charges he faces are a misdemeanor under state law he is still protected by the LEOBR.”
The LEOBR is short for the Law Enforcement Officer's Bill of Rights.
It's a law the ACLU has long wanted repealed, in part because of the protections it provides police officers like Koushall.
Rocah says||
"Despite his criminal conviction beyond a reasonable doubt he can not be disciplined within the police department unless and until a trial board composed of other police officers agrees with the criminal conviction and agrees that he committed internal misconduct.”
Baltimore police commissioner Michael Harrison voiced concerns with the LEOBR just last week in a letter he wrote to lawmakers who are part of a workgroup currently looking into police reform and accountability issues in the State of Maryland.
The fraternal Order of Police meanwhile has long defended the LEOBR as being a critical part of policing because of the protection it provides.
According to the Baltimore Police Department||
"His (Marlon Koushall) police powers are currently suspended pending the Internal Affairs process."
A review of online court records shows Koushall tied to a recent attempted murder case in late June.
For now Koushall remains a paid member of the Baltimore Police Department, a police officer who also happens to be on probation.
Koushall joined the department in 2011.
A salary base shows Koushall earned about $88,000 during fiscal year 2019.