Published on 4/20/2026, 4:06:00 PM

Can a Cop From Another County Pull You Over in Maryland?

Picture this. You are driving through Prince George’s County when a Baltimore County patrol car hits you with the lights. You were not speeding through Baltimore County earlier. The officer just happened to see something he did not like and decided to pull you over. Can he actually do that?

The answer is “sometimes, but only under specific conditions.” Maryland law draws clear lines around where each kind of officer has authority, and those lines matter. If an officer crosses them without a legal hook, the stop may have been unauthorized, and that can open the door to a motion to suppress the evidence that came out of the stop.

Here is how the rules actually work.

The Starting Point: Local Cops Are Local

Under Maryland common law, a county or municipal police officer has no authority to act officially outside the boundaries of the political subdivision that employs him. The Court of Appeals confirmed this in Stevenson v. State back in 1980, saying that a peace officer’s arrest power is limited to “the confines of the geographical unit of which he is an officer,” unless a statute says otherwise.

That is the default rule. A Montgomery County officer who sees something in Frederick County is, at that moment, a private citizen with no more power than anyone else.

But Maryland has several statutes that expand on that baseline. Understanding which one applies in a given situation is where most of the real fight happens.

Maryland State Police: The Statewide Agency

The Maryland State Police are a different animal. Public Safety Article § 2-301 gives the Department a broad general duty to preserve the public peace, detect and prevent crime, enforce state and local laws, apprehend criminals, and maintain the safe and orderly flow of traffic on public streets and highways throughout Maryland.

Section 2-302 then spells out the relationship between MSP and local agencies. MSP’s law enforcement powers are described as “supplemental to and concurrent with” the powers of every other law enforcement agency in the State in their respective jurisdictions. In plain English, MSP can work anywhere in Maryland alongside the local department.

Section 2-412 is where the statewide authority actually lives. Subsection (b)(1) gives Maryland State Police officers statewide powers at common law, and subsection (b)(2) says they can execute an arrest warrant anywhere in Maryland without further endorsement.

There is one big carveout. Subsection © says MSP officers may not act within the limits of an incorporated municipality that maintains its own police force, except in a specific list of situations. Those exceptions include:

• Pursuing or searching for a criminal suspect
• A crime committed in the officer’s presence
• A request from the chief of the local department
• An order from the Governor
• Enforcing the motor vehicle laws (except in Baltimore City)
• Joint investigations with a local agency
• Emergencies

So the common phrasing you sometimes hear (“except in incorporated municipalities, the Department of State Police has statewide jurisdiction”) is a rough summary of § 2-412©. It is more accurate to say MSP has statewide authority, but inside a town or city with its own police force, that authority is restricted to the specific situations in the statute.

County and Municipal Officers: The § 2-102 Framework

For everyone who is not MSP (county police, municipal police, sheriffs’ deputies), the key statute is Criminal Procedure Article § 2-102.

Section 2-102(b)(1) looks broad on its face. It says a police officer “may make arrests, conduct investigations, and otherwise enforce the laws of the State throughout the State without limitations as to jurisdiction.” Read that in isolation and you would think any cop can go anywhere. That is not how it works.

The grant is subject to the limitations in paragraph (3). An officer can exercise those statewide powers only when one of the following is true:

1. The officer is participating in a joint investigation with officials from another state, federal, or local law enforcement unit (at least one of which has local jurisdiction).
2. The officer is rendering assistance to another police officer.
3. The officer is acting at the request of a police officer or State Police officer.
4. An emergency exists.

And the officer must also be acting in accordance with regulations adopted by the employing department. No joint investigation, no assistance call, no request, no emergency, no authority.

There is also a specific rule for traffic stops. Section 2-102(b)(2) says the statute does not authorize an officer to enforce the Maryland Vehicle Law beyond the officer’s sworn jurisdiction unless the officer is acting under a mutual aid agreement authorized by § 2-105. That last piece matters for most of what you see on the road. A Prince George’s County officer who pulls you over for speeding in Calvert County cannot lean on § 2-102 for traffic enforcement without a mutual aid agreement in place.

Fresh Pursuit: The Most Common Exception

The scenario where a cop from another jurisdiction actually can pull you over without a bunch of paperwork is fresh pursuit.

Criminal Procedure § 2-301 codifies the doctrine for intrastate pursuit. It defines fresh pursuit as pursuit that is “continuous and without unreasonable delay,” and it says fresh pursuit “need not be instant pursuit.”

Under § 2-301©, a Maryland officer may engage in fresh pursuit of a person who:

1. Has committed or is reasonably believed to have committed a felony in the jurisdiction where the officer has the power of arrest; or
2. Has committed a misdemeanor in the presence of the officer in the jurisdiction where the officer has the power of arrest.

Once the pursuit is lawful, the officer may arrest the person anywhere in Maryland and hold the person in custody.

The Court of Special Appeals applied this in Seip v. State. An Ocean City officer saw a driver speeding inside Ocean City but could not safely make the stop on the Route 90 bridge. By the time he activated his emergency lights, he was already outside the city limits. The court upheld the stop because the officer had started the pursuit based on a misdemeanor committed in his presence inside Ocean City, and the pursuit was continuous.

Contrast that with Boston v. Baltimore County Police. A Baltimore County officer chased a reckless driver he first observed inside Baltimore City. Because the conduct giving rise to the pursuit did not happen in his jurisdiction, the fresh pursuit statute did not save him. The Court of Appeals upheld his five-day suspension. The officer had no authority.

Maryland has also adopted the Uniform Act on Fresh Pursuit at Criminal Procedure §§ 2-304 through 2-309. That Act handles the flipside situation: officers from other states pursuing suspects across the line into Maryland for felony investigations.

Other Ways a Cop Can Be in “Your” Jurisdiction

A few more paths let an officer act outside the home turf:

• Joint operation agreement under § 2-103. If primary law enforcement officers from two jurisdictions have a written joint operation agreement, an officer participating under that agreement can make arrests across jurisdictional lines for persons wanted on warrants, within the participating jurisdictions.
• Mutual aid agreement under § 2-105. A county or municipal governing body can legislate the circumstances under which its officers can lawfully go beyond the boundary. This is what § 2-102(b)(2) points to for traffic enforcement.
• Citizen’s arrest. If an officer is outside his jurisdiction and observes a felony, or observes a misdemeanor amounting to a breach of the peace committed in his presence, he may still act, but only with the authority of a private citizen. Courts are skeptical of this when the officer is in uniform, driving a marked car with lights and siren, and using his radio. That looks more like acting “under color of office” than a real citizen’s arrest.

Why This Matters If You Were Pulled Over

If you got stopped by an officer whose department covers a county or city other than the one you were driving through, the jurisdiction question is worth examining. Ask yourself:

• What did the officer say he saw, and where did he first see it?
• Did the chase start in his jurisdiction or outside of it?
• Was there a local officer on scene? Did they take over?
• Is there a mutual aid agreement in place between those jurisdictions?
• Was this a traffic offense or something more serious?

A cross-jurisdiction traffic stop with no fresh pursuit, no mutual aid agreement, and no emergency is the kind of scenario that can support a suppression motion. If the State cannot produce a properly certified mutual aid agreement at the hearing, the stop itself may be on shaky ground. Judges regularly require these agreements to be authenticated under Maryland Rule 5-902 and supported by notice under 5-902(12) if the State is offering them as a business record.

Practical Takeaways

The short version of the rules:

• Maryland State Police have statewide authority under Public Safety § 2-412, but their authority is restricted inside incorporated municipalities that maintain their own police force, except for the listed exceptions.
• County and municipal officers start with authority limited to their own jurisdiction. Criminal Procedure § 2-102 expands that authority, but only in joint investigations, when rendering assistance, when acting at another officer’s request, or in an emergency.
• Traffic enforcement across jurisdictional lines requires a mutual aid agreement under § 2-105 unless fresh pursuit or another narrow exception applies.
• Fresh pursuit under § 2-301 is the most common exception for cross-county stops. The pursuit must start from a felony (or a misdemeanor committed in the officer’s presence) inside the officer’s jurisdiction, and must be continuous.
• Violating the statute does not automatically suppress evidence in Maryland, but a Fourth Amendment theory may still work.

If you are looking at charges that came out of a stop by an officer who was far from home, the details of how that stop began can change the case. Our team handles these issues across the state, including Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County, Howard County, Prince George’s County, and Montgomery County.

If you have questions about what happened at your stop, what the officer should have done, or whether there is a suppression issue to raise, reach out. A good cross-examination of the officer on jurisdictional authority starts with understanding the exact statute the State is relying on.

Contact our team for a free consultation.

FAQs

Q: Can a county police officer pull me over in another county in Maryland?

A: Only in specific situations. Under Criminal Procedure § 2-102, a county officer can act outside his sworn jurisdiction during a joint investigation, when rendering assistance to another officer, when acting at another officer’s request, or in an emergency. For traffic stops specifically, § 2-102(b)(2) requires a mutual aid agreement under § 2-105, unless the officer is in fresh pursuit.

Q: Does Maryland State Police have statewide jurisdiction?

A: Yes, with a limit. Public Safety § 2-412 gives state troopers statewide powers, and they can execute an arrest warrant anywhere in Maryland. But § 2-412© says MSP may not act within the limits of an incorporated municipality that maintains its own police force, except in the listed situations like pursuit, a crime in the officer’s presence, motor vehicle law enforcement outside Baltimore City, a request from the local chief, an order from the Governor, a joint investigation, or an emergency.

Q: What is fresh pursuit under Maryland law?

A: Fresh pursuit is pursuit that is continuous and without unreasonable delay, but it does not have to be instant. Under Criminal Procedure § 2-301, an officer can engage in fresh pursuit of someone reasonably believed to have committed a felony in the officer’s jurisdiction, or a misdemeanor committed in the officer’s presence in that jurisdiction. Once in fresh pursuit, the officer can make the arrest anywhere in Maryland.

Q: If a cop stops me outside his jurisdiction, does that mean my case gets thrown out?

A: Not automatically. The Court of Special Appeals held in Miller v. State that Maryland does not have an independent exclusionary rule for § 2-102 violations. But the stop may still be challenged as unreasonable under the Fourth Amendment, particularly when the officer was acting under color of office. A suppression motion is the vehicle for raising this, and the analysis depends heavily on the facts.

Q: What is a “mutual aid agreement” and why does it matter?

A: Under Criminal Procedure § 2-105, the governing body of a county or municipality can pass legislation setting the circumstances under which its officers may lawfully go beyond the jurisdictional boundary. These mutual aid agreements are the mechanism that lets a county officer enforce traffic laws across the line into a neighboring county. If the State wants to rely on one at a suppression hearing, it typically has to be properly certified under Maryland Rule 5-902.

Q: What should I do if I think my stop was illegal?

A: Do not try to argue it on the side of the road. Comply with the stop, stay calm, and save the fight for court. Call an attorney as soon as possible after the stop. The details of how the encounter began matter a lot when the issue is jurisdiction, and the sooner your lawyer can pin down where the officer first saw you and why he made the stop, the stronger the suppression argument can be.