The proposed department would take over the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and bring together two functions: violence prevention and non-police responses to some calls involving mental health crises or homelessness. The proposal’s supporters say the new structure would strengthen oversight and provide alternatives when a police, fire or emergency medical response is not needed.

The department would initially be funded with money from opioid settlements. Councilman Mark Conway questioned whether that funding would be sustainable and urged members to take more time to examine the plan, while supporting the need for alternatives to police responses in some situations.

Council President Zeke Cohen said the proposal reflects years of calls from Baltimore residents for a different approach to neighborhood safety. Supporters also pointed to an earlier city response program that, they said, did not have enough capacity to respond with the necessary speed and urgency.

If the full council approves the measure, the department would formalize violence-prevention work already carried out by the mayor’s office while expanding the city’s capacity to respond to nonviolent crises without defaulting to traditional emergency services.