City agencies ask Senate to restore juvenile-records 'carve-out' to support youth services; senators press for consent, limits
February 21, 2026 | No. 2 - Carroll and Frederick Counties, Select Committees, SENATE, SENATE, Committees, Legislative, Maryland
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Witnesses for Baltimore City urged the City Senate delegation to approve Senate Bill 524, saying the bill restores a time-limited statutory "carve-out" that would permit limited access to juvenile police records by specified city agencies when those agencies are directly providing services to the young person.
Stephanie Mavronis, director at the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, told the delegation the carve-out previously existed for more than a decade and its expiration on October 1 means the city currently lacks a legal mechanism for police to share incident reports with service providers. "This legislation... would allow limited access to certain juvenile police records, if and only if my agency is providing services to that young person," she said, explaining that the information helps case managers create comprehensive treatment plans and coordinate victim services.
Mavronis said the agencies would use secure case-management systems, limit access to staff working on a specific program and be bound by statutory privacy and retention rules. She and city counsel said typical intake would include parental or guardian signatures before records were accessed, and the offices would adopt a memoranda of understanding (MOU) with Baltimore Police Department and Department of Juvenile Services to define responsibilities.
Senators pressed for specificity. Senator McCray and others asked for explicit, written parental or guardian consent and proposed amendments to require the consent and to name the specific agencies entitled to access. Senator Ferguson raised the breadth of the undefined term "comprehensive treatment plan" and sought clearer criteria; city counsel and Mavronis said the phrase follows prior carve-out language and that retention and disposal policies — they referenced a five-year disposal rule in discussion — would apply and that strict liability would attach if records were improperly disclosed.
Officials said no broader disclosure would be permitted and that the records would be furnished only for the express, limited purpose of service planning. Mavronis said the carve-out also includes two additional mayoral offices that provide direct services: the Mayor's Office of Children and Family Success and the Mayor's Office of African American Male Engagement. Senators asked that consent and retention language be made explicit so families and the public understand who will access sensitive records and for how long.
The hearing closed with senators asking for further clarifications and potential technical amendments prior to a pending vote.
Stephanie Mavronis, director at the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, told the delegation the carve-out previously existed for more than a decade and its expiration on October 1 means the city currently lacks a legal mechanism for police to share incident reports with service providers. "This legislation... would allow limited access to certain juvenile police records, if and only if my agency is providing services to that young person," she said, explaining that the information helps case managers create comprehensive treatment plans and coordinate victim services.
Mavronis said the agencies would use secure case-management systems, limit access to staff working on a specific program and be bound by statutory privacy and retention rules. She and city counsel said typical intake would include parental or guardian signatures before records were accessed, and the offices would adopt a memoranda of understanding (MOU) with Baltimore Police Department and Department of Juvenile Services to define responsibilities.
Senators pressed for specificity. Senator McCray and others asked for explicit, written parental or guardian consent and proposed amendments to require the consent and to name the specific agencies entitled to access. Senator Ferguson raised the breadth of the undefined term "comprehensive treatment plan" and sought clearer criteria; city counsel and Mavronis said the phrase follows prior carve-out language and that retention and disposal policies — they referenced a five-year disposal rule in discussion — would apply and that strict liability would attach if records were improperly disclosed.
Officials said no broader disclosure would be permitted and that the records would be furnished only for the express, limited purpose of service planning. Mavronis said the carve-out also includes two additional mayoral offices that provide direct services: the Mayor's Office of Children and Family Success and the Mayor's Office of African American Male Engagement. Senators asked that consent and retention language be made explicit so families and the public understand who will access sensitive records and for how long.
The hearing closed with senators asking for further clarifications and potential technical amendments prior to a pending vote.
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