Special Police Maryland
A special police officer is an individual at least 18 years old, who holds a commission granted by the Governor. Generally, a commission authorizes the officer to arrest individuals who trespass or commit offenses on the property described in the commission, exercise the powers of a police officer on the property described in the commission, and exercise the powers of a police officer in a county or municipal corporation associated with the property described in the commission, and direct and control traffic on public highways and roadways in the immediate vicinity of the property described in the commission.
Required Training
As of October 1, 2020, Maryland House Bill 1111 has taken effect which requires the following training:
1) Unless exempt, an applicant for an initial Commission shall complete a training course approved by the Secretary, in consultation with the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission, consisting of at least 80 hours of instruction, including criminal law, constitutional procedural requirements relating to search, seizure, and arrests and the appropriate use of force.
2) An applicant for a renewal Commission shall complete 12 hours of in-service training approved by the Secretary, in consultation with the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission.
See House Bill 1111 for exemptions to the above requirements at: House Bill 1111.
Direct questions on the training requirements associated with House Bill 1111 to the Police Training Commission website below: https://mdle.net/specialpolice.htm
Where to Mail Applications
Maryland State Police Licensing Division 1111 Reisterstown Road Pikesville, MD 21208 Attn.: Special Police Commissions
Who Should Apply?
You may apply for the appointment of an individual as a Special Police Officer if you are:
A municipal corporation, county, or other governmental body of the State, in order to protect property owned, leased, or regularly used by the governmental body or any of its units;
Another state, or subdivision or unit of another state, that has an interest in property located wholly or partly in this State, in order to protect the property;
A college, university, or public school system in the State, in order to protect its property or students; or
A person that exists and functions for a legal business purpose, in order to protect its business.
The individual for whom the appointment is sought shall be:
of good moral character, reputation and qualification; and
at least 18 years old;
How To Apply
The employer submits the application for each individual applicant seeking a commission. The Special Police Commission unit will only accept applications completed electronically on the PDF form(s) provided below under Documents for initial and renewal applications. Please answer all questions accurately, completely and honestly. Once completed, the PDF form should be printed, signed, and mailed.
Mail the application packet to the Licensing Division at the address provided above. Allow 90 business days for the completion of the application process. If the Licensing Division does not receive the renewal application, satisfactorily completed, by the expiration date, the applicant must begin as a new applicant and complete all requirements necessary for an initial application.
All original applications require FBI and CJIS fingerprint submissions. Additionally, applicants must submit two (2) color passport type photographs of the applicant (2"x2" square, light background, head and shoulder full face, no hat, no dark glasses). The photographs must be taken within the last 30 days.
How Much Does It Cost?
The fee for an initial application is $100. The fee for a renewal application is $60. Fees must be paid by check or money order made payable to the Maryland State Police.
When Should I Renew?
Initial commissions expire three (3) years after its date of issuance and upon the end of the term of a commission, the commission is renewable for a three (3) year term if the employer of the special police officer:
submits to the Maryland State Police a renewal application on the form provided on the Documents page on this site;
submits to the Maryland State Police a Livescan receipt of FBI fingerprints; and
pays to the Maryland State Police a renewal fee of $60 where applicable, but a renewal fee may not be charged to a unit of the State.
The renewal process is the responsibility of the applicant and should be started no less than 90 business days from expiration of the commission. Timely renewal is the responsibility of the commission holder. The Licensing Division does not send out renewal reminders.
Frequently Asked Questions
For the special police application, make sure you are submitting the following: two (2) photos, all applicable fees, live scan receipt, and the application itself, which can be found under Documents.
90 days, not to include weekends and holidays.
Statutes
Below you will find links to PDFs of relevant Maryland statutes, provided for your convenience. Please note that laws change over time. The below documents were created on June 12, 2013, and are for reference purposes only. To obtain the most recent text of any legislation, please go online to LexisNexis to access the up-to-date Maryland code.
Statutes
Documents
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