Editor’s note: This story, originally published at 3:15 p.m. on May 21, 2024, was updated to include comments from County Councilmembers Sidney Katz and Kristin Mink and to add information about the May 22 nomination. It was updated at 5:51 p.m. on May 22, 2024, to include comments from Lee Holland President of the Fraternal Order of Police.
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich on Wednesday morning nominated Assistant Police Chief Marc Yamada, a Japanese American and a county police department veteran, to replace Chief Marcus Jones, who is retiring July 1.
If approved by the County Council, Yamada–the father of a county police officer–will be the department’s 18th police chief and the first Asian American to hold the post.
“I’m honored to announce the nomination of assistant chief Marc Yamada as chief of police for Montgomery County’s police department,” Elrich announced before a gathering of public safety personnel, county officials and others at the county’s Public Safety Headquarters in Gaithersburg. “His ability to connect with people from all walks of life and his commitment to justice make him the ideal candidate to lead our department in the future.”
According to a release from county officials, Yamada has 35 years of experience with the county police department and has demonstrated “exceptional leadership, dedication, passion and a deep commitment to community safety.”
An assistant chief for three years, Yamada is currently in charge of the Field Services Bureau, overseeing department services and divisions ranging from special operations, SWAT and K9 to traffic operations, school safety, community engagement and crisis response, according to Elrich’s office.
His previous assignments included serving as a duty commander, deputy director of the Major Crimes Division and lieutenant, deputy commander of the 4th District Station in Wheaton.
“He is a leader,” Jones told the crowd before Elrich’s nomination. “The men and women of this department have the utmost amount of respect for him. That is something that is very important in leadership, is to have that support.”
Jones’ remarks were met with rousing applause from the crowd.
A native of Montgomery County and father of four, Yamada lives in Brookeville with his wife of 32 years, according to Elrich’s office. His oldest son has been a county police officer for seven years.
“I want everyone to know that I am committed to upholding the highest standards that the previous police chiefs have set for the Montgomery County police department,” Yamada said. “Having served here since 1988, I recognize that I am inheriting what I feel is the absolute gold standard of law enforcement agencies across the entire country.”
County Councilmember Sidney Katz (D-Dist. 3) told MoCo360 Tuesday evening that he has known Yamada for many years and looked forward to voting to confirm him.
“I’m glad the county executive nominated him and I think he will be a very fine police chief, following many very fine police chiefs that we’ve had here in Montgomery County,” said Katz, who chairs the council’s public safety committee.
Councilmember Kristin Mink (D-Dist. 5), also a member of the public safety committee, said that for now, she is “reserving judgment” of Yamada until she can do her due diligence and hear from constituents and stakeholder groups and speak with him about the role.
Lee Holland, the President of the Fraternal Order of Police in Montgomery County, told MoCo360 Tuesday afternoon that he and other members were excited that Yamada was nominated. He noted that choosing someone within the police department “makes sense.”
According to Holland, the Fraternal Order of Police did an internal poll of its membership which showed that about 70% of respondents believed the next police chief should be an internal candidate and 80% of respondents wanted Yamada to be the next police chief.
“He is definitely a person that people respect and I think he’s going to just improve morale so much, which will help with the recruiting and retention problems that we’re having,” Holland said.
Council President Andrew Friedson (D-Dist. 1) did not immediately respond to MoCo360’s request for comment Tuesday evening.
Reporter Noah Johnson contributed to this report.