BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Baltimore City Councilmembers moved a step closer Monday to creating a new city agency aimed at reshaping how the city responds to some emergencies, approving legislation on second reader to establish a Department of Neighborhood Safety.
The council voted 12-1 to advance the bill, the step before a final vote.
Council President Zeke Cohen, the bill’s lead sponsor, called the vote significant.
“I think this is a monumental day for the city of Baltimore,” Cohen said.
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Cohen said the proposed department is intended to build a crisis response system that sends “the right responder at the right time to address the right crisis that someone is having.”
“For years, people have been calling on us to develop a crisis response system that sends the right responder at the right time to address the right crisis that someone is having. Today, the council took a big step. And I am so grateful to my 12 colleagues to advance this bill,” Cohen said.
If approved, the Department of Neighborhood Safety would become a permanent third branch of public safety for the city alongside the police department and the fire department/EMS. The new department would absorb the existing Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, known as MONSE, while keeping its core violence-prevention mission in place.
The measure would also expand the city’s ability to respond with alternatives to some nonviolent 911 calls, including dispatching trained mental health professionals and social workers instead of police officers.
Councilman Mark Conway, who cast the lone opposing vote, said his concerns center on the cost.
I think the trouble here is making sure we can pay for it,” Conway said.
Conway said the legislation’s total cost is not yet known, while Mayor Brandon Scott has said it will involve city money.
Conway said he believes initial costs could be significant.
“We know that this is going to cost us roughly $50 million in the first year, but may have mounting costs as we continue year after year. We don’t know what the costs are, we don’t how much staff we need, we do not know how many materials we need,” Conway said.
He also criticized the pace of the bill’s movement.
“It’s been about a week and a half (of waiting to get more funding information) and instead of actually waiting until we get that report, we’re moving forward on the bill,” Conway said.
Cohen insists the city has a plan to fund the department, starting with opioid restitution money.
“What I will continue to say is the first tranche will come from our opioid restitution fund. That is $15 million,” Cohen said.
Cohen also said the city could see savings over time by reducing police overtime tied to calls involving mental health and homelessness.
“What I do hope and expect is over the long term, we may see some cost savings from the excessive amount of police overtime that goes toward policing issues like mental health. And like homelessness, which frankly, our law enforcement officers are not best positioned to do,” Cohen said.
Conway said he hopes the city can avoid shifting unexpected costs to residents.
“My only hope is that we can figure this out and hopefully we’re not expecting that the taxpayers pick up the dime without doing our due diligence and unfortunately that’s what it looks like today,” Conway said.
Councilman Ryan Dorsey and Councilwoman Danielle McCray did not vote on the measure because they were absent.
The bill is scheduled for a final vote Nov. 9.
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This post was originally published on Fox 45 by Sinclair Media Group.
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