New Details Explain Reason Behind MoCo Police Chief's Resignation

Updated at 7:17 p.m.

ROCKVILLE, MD — Montgomery County Police Chief Marc Yamada resigned effective immediately from his post Friday in connection with findings outlined in an inspector general's report.

The resignation was confirmed by County Executive Marc Elrich, who said in a release that he had requested Yamada to step down after reviewing the IG report.

"The investigation substantiated violations of County and MCPD expectations regarding time away from work, without taking appropriate leave or adjusting his schedule as required by MCPD policy. More concerning to me were the findings regarding the accuracy of the Chief’s statements to the IG during the investigation," Elrich said in a statement.

"Based on the findings of this investigation, I determined that a change in leadership was necessary."

Until Yamada's position can be permanently filled, Assistant Chief Darren Francke will serve as acting police chief.

In a separate statement, MCPD said the department would "continue its day-to-day operations and remain focused on serving Montgomery County" amid the "leadership transition."

Yamada has been with the Montgomery County Police Department since 1988. He took over as police chief following the January 2024 retirement of former Police Chief Marcus Jones.

The outgoing police chief was nominated by Erlich for the police chief position and later unanimously approved by the Montgomery County Council in June 2024.

What Did The IG Report Find?

The inspector general's report does not name the individual under investigation but does state the probe came underway after the OIG received complaints in mid-June about an executive.

The bulk of the investigation focused on the following complaints:

• Failure to take leave when required to do so
• Consumption of alcohol at a golfing event during work hours
• Misuse of county funds by taking a relative to a conference

The complaints were filed through an OIG hotline.

Investigators determined that the executive documented no leave of absence between July 2024 and July 2026 despite not being available for work on at least five days.

While the executive is exempt from county personnel regulations, the absences are in violation of the police department's policy, investigators concluded.

The report also laid out a case where the executive allowed a relative employed by the county to attend an out-of-state work conference with them.

"While the executive initially told us that they were not involved in selecting their relative to go with them, we later learned this was not true and that they in fact selected the relative to attend," reads the OIG report.

Also flagged by investigators was the use of a county vehicle by an individual employed by the Office of the County Attorney. Officials said the executive directed the employee to use the vehicle, which was later used for personal matters and commuting.

The report also highlighted confusion among executives and managers on how MCPD's absence policy is applied when officials are required to attend events.

A total of five recommendations were issued in relation to the IG findings. They include:

1. Determining whether to recover the equivalent of 40 hours of pay from the executive
2. Clarifying leave of absence policies
3. Providing updated MCPD policy requiring all supervisors to review and approve timecards consistent with the county's payroll policies
4. New policy outlining when employees can attend specific events during work hours without having to take leave
5. Requiring MCPD to review vehicle assignments to civilian staff and ensuring they are in compliance

A separate statement from the Office of the County Executive stated the agency was "firmly committed" to enforcing the recommendations.