Thomas Leone Named as University of Maryland, Baltimore Police Chief
BALTIMORE (Sept. 21, 2021) – Thomas Leone has been named the University of Maryland, Baltimore Police Department (UMBPD) Chief of Police following a nationwide search.
Now in his sixth year with the UMBPD, Leone served as Interim Chief of Police since June 2020. His background includes a 20-year tenure with the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, where he rose through the ranks to ultimately become Director of the Frederick County Narcotics Task Force from 2007 to 2016. In May 2021, Leone graduated with a Master of Science in Homeland Security and Crisis Management Law from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.“I’m incredibly fortunate to work with a team of such committed, hard-working people,” said Leone. “I’m honored to serve as their Chief and I don’t take that responsibility lightly. I’m committed to serving this community with integrity, equity, and accountability.”
Under Leone’s leadership as Interim Chief of Police, the UMBPD achieved dual accreditation for professional excellence in public safety from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) and the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA). He has developed workgroups focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion with members of the UMB community. Leone has also grown the department’s robust training program to include implicit bias, pro-LGBTQ+ policing, constitutional policing, mental health first aid, and the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) 30 Guiding Principles for use of force, which focuses on the sanctity of human life, de-escalation, critical decision-making, increased transparency, and accountability.
Since becoming Interim Chief, Leone has improved operational deployments, leading to a 54.7 percent reduction in crime in 2020. He created mentorship and advancement opportunities for security officers to attend the police academy; those recruits graduated earlier this month and are now joining the UMBPD as police officers. Leone also deployed body-worn cameras to increase transparency, and updated all UMBPD policies and procedures.
The UMBPD is widely recognized for its Community Outreach and Support Team (COAST), which was created in 2018 under former Police Chief Alice Cary. Leone has continued to foster COAST programs, including Police Athletics/Activities League (PAL), comfort K9, crisis and intervention outreach, and more. In Fall 2021, COAST will partner with interns and licensed clinical certified social workers from the University of Maryland School of Social Work to bring needed resources to vulnerable populations. For their efforts, COAST was awarded the 2020 Maryland Chiefs of Police Association’s Exceptional Police Performance by a Unit/Team/Collaboration Award and prestigious 2021 International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)/Walmart Leadership in Community Policing Award.
“We are making wonderful progress, but this is just one step in a long journey,” said Leone. “I am committed to the communities we serve – to building positive relationships – and we will work every day to continue to learn and grow.”
About the University of Maryland, Baltimore
Founded in 1807, the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) is Maryland’s only public health, law, and human services university, dedicated to excellence in education, research, clinical care, and public service. UMB enrolls nearly 6,800 students in six nationally ranked professional schools — medicine, law, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, and social work — and an interdisciplinary Graduate School. The university provides more than $40 million each year in uncompensated care to Maryland citizens, and received more than $677 million in grants and contracts in Fiscal Year 2018. For more information about UMB, visit www.umaryland.edu.
