Maryland Mayors Wanted to Provide Addresses of COVID Infected to Law Enforcement

This is a developing story, and will be updated as more information becomes available.

MARYLAND News (10/7/2024) – According to an email obtained by Radio Free Hub City through a Maryland Public Information Act request, multiple Maryland mayors worked together to push for county health departments to disclose the addresses of COVID infected persons to law enforcement.

The emails, which were exchanged between local officials in April 2020, reveal an internal debate over whether local law enforcement should be informed of the addresses of residents who tested positive for COVID-19. The rationale presented was to better protect first responders, who remained on the front lines of the pandemic, often with limited access to personal protective equipment (PPE).

The email thread, which included contributions from mayors across the state, reveals a divide on the issue. The email thread was started by Jeannine James of La Plata, advocated for sharing the addresses of infected individuals with police officers and emergency responders. James argued that this additional layer of information would help protect first responders from unknowingly coming into contact with infected individuals. In a message to other mayors, she requested their support for a letter sent to Robert Neall, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health, calling for the immediate implementation of such a protocol.

However, this proposal raised concerns with at least one mayor regarding compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Under HIPAA, the release of personally identifiable health information, such as addresses of COVID-19 positive individuals, to unauthorized entities could constitute a violation of federal privacy laws. The conversation among the mayors acknowledged this potential legal barrier, and some participants expressed hesitation about moving forward with the request.

Ken Lord, the current Mayor of Keedysville utilizing his U.S. Department of Transportation email for town business, shared the debate with Washington County Sheriff Douglas Mullendore, noting that while the issue was being discussed, Keedysville had no direct involvement. He commented on the tension between ensuring first responders’ safety and adhering to HIPAA laws, reflecting the broader dilemma faced by many local officials during the pandemic.

Other mayors echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the need to balance safety with legal and ethical considerations. For example, Mayor Len Carey of University Park noted that while he had signed a letter requesting the information, his directive to local officers was to assume that everyone they interacted with could potentially be infected, given the wide spread of the virus and the scarcity of testing at the time. Patrick Wojahn, Mayor of College Park, similarly advocated for treating all interactions as if individuals were infected, arguing that ramping up PPE availability and testing should be the priority.

Mayor Carey also stated that PG county dispatch had “implemented protocols intended to inform our arriving officers whether COVID-19 is indicated at their destination.”

In contrast, John Compton, Mayor of Washington Grove, expressed skepticism about the value of such lists. He argued that focusing on consistent safety protocols and ensuring that first responders had the necessary protective equipment would be a more effective approach to ensuring their safety, rather than relying on potentially incomplete information about who had tested positive.

The email exchange highlights the difficult decisions local officials were forced to make in the face of a rapidly evolving public health crisis. While some mayors pushed for measures that could potentially violate privacy laws, others focused on broader safety measures that could protect first responders without compromising residents’ confidential health information. In the end, the emails underscore the complex balance between public safety and legal obligations during one of the most challenging periods of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This also raises further questions and concerns, such as could the same lists have been used to ensure people were following required stay-at-home quarantine procedures? No mention of this is in the emails, but this would not be beyond the realm of possibility once law enforcement was provided a full list of COVID infected residents.

The full email chain is attached. RFHC will be filing additional public information act requests to obtain additional information.

Story by multiple RFHC contributors

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