Jennifer McGrath said her life was “quietly being destroyed.”

McGrath told members of the House Judiciary Committee that she was spending time in the hospital recovering from an emergency cesarean section, traveling back and forth to a neonatal intensive care unit to visit her baby and experiencing postpartum depression.

That’s when her fiancé’s estranged ex-wife in 2023 obtained a charge of electronic communication harassment against McGrath through a District Court commissioner, a judicial officer who’s not required to have a law degree.

Because of her position in the Baltimore Police Department, McGrath said, the news quickly spread. She said she was humiliated, judged and presumed guilty.

The Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office later dropped the case. McGrath said the woman — whom she had never met — had fabricated threatening text messages.

“There was never a crime, except the one she had committed,” said McGrath, who is the major overseeing the Operational Intelligence Section but who testified in her personal capacity. “But by then, it was too late.”

Lawmakers listened to more than 2 1/2 hours of testimony on Tuesday on a bill that would make changes to a system in Maryland that allows anyone to seek charges with no input from police or prosecutors. They appeared to agree that reform is needed but seemed uncertain how exactly to fix problems with the legal process.

Del. Jackie Addison, a Democrat from Baltimore, is sponsoring the legislation for the third year in a row. Her bill would restrict the ability of District Court commissioners to issue arrest warrants to people other than police officers and state’s attorneys. The measure would also increase the maximum sentence for making a false statement from six months in jail to three years in prison.

Addison recently proposed amending the bill to instead require District Court commissioners to forward all applications people file with them seeking charges to the state’s attorney for review.

Prosecutors would then have 72 hours to investigate and recommend whether charges should be filed. They would also suggest if a District Court commissioner should issue an arrest warrant or a summons to appear in court.

That’s similar to how the law already works when people accuse law enforcement, emergency services personnel or educators of committing a crime in the course of their duties.

Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates, president of the Maryland State’s Attorneys’ Association, said the bill will fix an issue he described as a nightmare in the criminal legal system.

Bates said those entrusted with prosecuting these cases should first have the opportunity to review and investigate allegations.

“Nothing in life or the criminal justice system is perfect,” Bates testified. “But this change in law would make a very seriously misguided process more manageable to all that are involved.”

Advocates for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault oppose the bill and the proposed amendment but expressed willingness to work with lawmakers on a solution.

State’s attorneys, public defenders and advocates agree that there are problems with the system, said Laure Ruth, public policy director for the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence.

The question, she said, is how to solve them. Ruth said she hasn’t seen any proposals so far that she can support, but she implored legislators to include advocates in the conversation.

At one point, Del. Jon Cardin, a Democrat from Baltimore County, questioned why advocates are opposed to providing the state’s attorney with 72 hours to review allegations.

Ruth said survivors could be killed if there is a waiting period.

She said it would be unacceptable if a woman visited a District Court commissioner, reported that her abusive partner held a gun to her head, threatened to kill her and dislocated her shoulder in the past, only to be told, “OK, we’ll get back to you.”

“This is a real problem. I completely agree with you. But doing it piecemeal is not working,” Ruth said.

Del. Kym Taylor, a Democrat from Prince George’s County, said she thinks the system is flawed.

“I would not like to see this bill back here next year,” Taylor said. “I would like to fix it this year.”

Ruth said she agreed.