Politics
Baltimore safety agency proposal would add non-police responses, but full price remains unclear
The City Council is considering a Department of Neighborhood Safety that would take over the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and expand responses to some nonviolent 911 calls. Supporters point to $15 million in opioid settlement funds, while critics say the city has not provided a complete long-term cost estimate.
BALTIMORE — Baltimore City Council members are weighing a proposal to create a Department of Neighborhood Safety, an agency intended to handle some nonviolent emergencies with mental health professionals and social workers rather than police officers.
The Council’s Committee of the Whole held its first hearing on the legislation Wednesday, Oct. 14. The measure, sponsored by Council President Zeke Cohen, would establish the department alongside the Police Department and Fire Department/EMS. It would absorb the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, or MONSE, while keeping that office’s existing work, and expand the city’s capacity to send non-police responders to certain 911 calls.
The proposal’s cost and funding plan drew questions. David Williams, a taxpayer advocate with the Taxpayer Protection Alliance, said the administration had not provided a total estimate, including staffing costs. He characterized the proposed agency as potentially expensive and duplicative and urged residents to monitor the legislation.
Councilman Mark Conway also questioned whether Baltimore could sustain the costs over time, saying at the hearing that the city must ensure it can afford the department without shifting money away from other needs.
Cohen said $15 million from the city’s opioid restitution fund would support launching the work over the next couple of years. He argued that specialized responses could eventually save money and allow police to focus on violence while clinicians address mental health crises.
Cohen said he wants the legislation to advance quickly but also called for due diligence. The council did not vote Wednesday. Another hearing is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 19, with a final vote set for Oct. 26.