Montgomery County Police Chief Marc Yamada is stepping down from his position effective immediately, marking an abrupt end to the role he’s held for the past two years.
County Executive Marc Elrich announced Yamada’s resignation in a statement Friday, thanking him for nearly four decades of service to the Montgomery County Police Department. He did not say why Yamada is resigning.
Yamada could not be immediately reached for comment.
The sudden resignation came just before the Montgomery County inspector general released an investigation into alleged misconduct by a Montgomery County Police Department executive. They did not name the executive, but Elrich suggested the subject was Yamada, who previously faced whistleblower complaints about his use of funds on a trip to Las Vegas.
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The report concluded the executive had been absent from work for at least five days to attend an out-of-state conference in June 2026 without taking leave or adjusting their schedule to make up the time.
Investigators found the executive had invited a relative also employed by the county to a conference along with several other high-ranking MCPD employees, where they attended a golf tournament. The executive also admitted to drinking two alcoholic beverages during the tournament, the report states.
Photographs posted on the event’s website show the executive in civilian clothing and apparently unarmed, according to the report.
Inspector General Megan Davey Limarzi recommended the county determine whether to recover the executive’s 40 hours of pay, clarify time and attendance expectations, update its policy to require all supervisors to review and approve timecards and implement a policy clarifying when employees may attend social events during work hours.
Elrich said he had selected Assistant Chief Darren Franke to serve as the MCPD’s acting chief of police until a permanent replacement is appointed.
The police department released a statement following Elrich’s announcement saying it received notification that Yamada had resigned.
“During this leadership transition, the department will continue its day-to-day operations and remain focused on serving Montgomery County,” the statement read. “We also remain committed to transparency, accountability and maintaining the public’s trust as we move forward.”
Yamada was appointed in May 2024, becoming the county’s 18th police chief. The department, with roughly 1,100 personnel, serves more than 1 million residents across a 507-square-mile jurisdiction.
This article has been updated with details from a Montgomery County inspector general report.
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