2026-10-14 - Committee of the Whole

00:04Good evening everyone.

00:08>> Thank you JD. Uh good evening everyone.

00:12Thank you for being here this evening.

00:14Especially thank you to our panel

00:17panelists to the public that came out to

00:19join us for this important hearing. I

00:23want to begin by recognizing my

00:25colleagues who are here today. I see

00:28with us Councilman Ryan Dorsy. I see

00:31Councilman Tony Glover. I see Councilman

00:35Germaine Jones. I see Councilman John

00:38Bolock. And I see Councilwoman Felicia

00:40Porter. Thank you for joining us. I am

00:43Zeke Cohen, Council President. I also

00:46want to thank members of the

00:47administration here, and there are a lot

00:50of them, so I will not name you

00:51individually, but particularly want to

00:54thank Dr. Jerasa for the good work that

00:57we've been doing in partnership on this

00:59important bill. Uh JD Merrill from the

01:03mayor's chief of staff. Um our entire

01:07Mony team, our homeless services team,

01:09our fire department, our police

01:11department, uh our finance department,

01:14and all of the many agencies that have

01:18been working together on this

01:20legislation.

01:22No one should lose their life to a

01:25mental health crisis.

01:27Residents should receive the right

01:30response at the right time from the

01:33right professionals whenever they call

01:35for help.

01:37That is the promise at the heart of the

01:40Department of Neighborhood Safety. This

01:42department will become the third branch

01:44of public safety in our city to stand

01:47shoulder-to-shoulder with the police and

01:51fire departments.

01:53Baltimore deserves a best-in-class

01:56system that operates with urgency and

02:00fully recognizes the humanity of our

02:02neighbors who struggle with mental

02:05health challenges.

02:07In a crisis,

02:09delayed care can mean the difference

02:11between life and death. This bill is a

02:15joint effort by Mayor Scott, my entire

02:19city council colleagues, and myself, and

02:23by every resident who believes in our

02:26city. The city council listened to

02:29countless Baltimoreans who called on us

02:31to build a better system. We heard from

02:35neighbors, healers,

02:38social workers, medical providers, and

02:41brokenhearted family members of victims.

02:44We held two hearings in the committee of

02:46the whole, and we heard powerful

02:48testimony from residents and national

02:50experts.

02:52I flew to Durham with my team and the

02:54mayor's team to learn about their heart

02:57program, which is among the best in the

02:59country. And I do want to briefly

03:02recognize uh all the folks that went on

03:05that trip and who have been working so

03:06hard on this bill. Uh Lucinda, Evie,

03:10Alana, Crystal, um and uh JD, and all

03:15the folks that uh flew to North Carolina

03:19to see what they're about.

03:22And now by passing this bill, the

03:25council will do two things.

03:28codify my create a new system to respond

03:31quickly to mental and behavioral health

03:34crisis.

03:35Over the past few years, Baltimore has

03:37shown that we can dramatically reduce

03:40violence without mass incarceration.

03:44Monty has been at the forefront of this

03:46work.

03:48Stephanie and her team have invested in

03:50community, reduce recidivism,

03:53and help manage conflict through a

03:55trauma-informed lens. We are deeply

03:58grateful for their work. And as with any

04:02initiative, there is a need for

04:04continuous improvement and

04:06accountability.

04:08By codifying my as an agency outside of

04:11the mayor's office, this council will

04:13show our continued commitment to

04:15oversight.

04:17No government agency is above reproach.

04:20Addressing policies and procedures will

04:23lead to better outcomes.

04:26This bill will also enable us to respond

04:28rapidly to mental health crisis. Here's

04:31the idea.

04:33When someone is committing a violent

04:35crime, we need to deploy a police

04:37officer.

04:39When someone's house is on fire, we need

04:42to deploy a firefighter. And when

04:46someone is experiencing a mental health

04:48crisis, we should send a clinician or a

04:52peer. Point blank. Period.

04:56Safety will always be paramount. We know

04:59that some situations will warrant a

05:01co-response with a clinician and an

05:03officer.

05:05We will have to staff up with trained

05:07clinicians to provide this new service.

05:11Thankfully, we are blessed to have

05:13support from the opioid restitution fund

05:16and over the long term I believe we will

05:19realize cost savings.

05:21We are also blessed to have partnerships

05:24with great schools of social work, many

05:27of whom are here this evening in

05:29Baltimore. When fully implemented, this

05:33department will free up officers to

05:35focus on what they do best, address

05:38violent crime. Our consent decree calls

05:42for least police involved response to

05:45911 calls, and many of the officers I've

05:48spoken to have shared concerns about the

05:51amount of time they spend addressing

05:53mental health and homelessness.

05:56We will continue to partner with Chief

05:58Warley to make good on his commitment to

06:01get more officers trained in crisis

06:04response. But again, we also want our

06:06police department primarily focused on

06:09crime.

06:11Six years ago, when Baltimore became the

06:13first city in the nation to commit to

06:15trauma-informed care, we promised that

06:18we would treat trauma as something to

06:20heal, not punish.

06:25This bill is part of keeping that

06:27promise.

06:29But passing this bill is only the

06:31beginning. This department must be built

06:33around the neighbors it serves. We will

06:36not succeed unless every Baltimoreian

06:39can see themselves in this work. We will

06:42listen and engage in every corner of our

06:45city. We will take the time to get it

06:48right. But let me be clear, the time for

06:52action is now.

06:54With that, let me welcome Dr. Leticia

06:57Jerasa, Deputy Mayor Jerasa to discuss

07:00this legislation before us on behalf of

07:03the Scott administration. Dr. Jerasa is

07:06deputy mayor of equity, health, and

07:08human services. Doc, the floor is yours

07:12for 10 minutes.

07:13>> Great. Thanks, Council President. Uh,

07:15good evening, everyone. As stated, my

07:16name is Dr. Leticia Jasa, and I'm the

07:18deputy mayor of Health and Human

07:20Services for Baltimore City. Tonight,

07:22I'll be discussing information regarding

07:24the city's plan to expand 911 diversion

07:26through alternative response under the

07:28newly proposed Department of Public

07:30Safety or neighborhood safety. Um, I do

07:33just want to take a moment, um, as

07:34council president um, mentioned and

07:36really thank the team that has been

07:38behind a lot of this work, starting with

07:40the Baltimore City Behavioral Health

07:42Collaborative, formerly the CPIC, um,

07:44that for several years has had a lot of

07:46recommendations around alternative

07:48response, um, really related to

07:50paragraph 97 in the consent decree.

07:53So, just quickly reviewing um, the

07:55timeline to provide some additional uh,

07:57context. This journey really began back

07:59in 2017, as I noted, with the

08:01establishment of the consent decree

08:03between the city and the Department of

08:04Justice. Um, since that time, the city's

08:06taken a very deliberate approach in

08:08scaling 911 diversion and other

08:10responses outside of law enforcement,

08:12fire, and EMS. The initial 911 diversion

08:15pilot was launched in 2021 with two call

08:18types. Um, it was expanded to a third in

08:202022. And in 2024, this model was

08:23further professionalized by the

08:24embedding of behavioral health

08:26clinicians directly in the 911 call

08:28center. Under the opioid settlement in

08:312024, $15 million was earmarked to

08:34establish what was called 247 outreach

08:36for Baltimore City. This $15 million

08:39earmark will be used to expand the

08:41alternative response model that I'll be

08:43discussing in the upcoming slides. In

08:45early 2026, as the council president

08:47mentioned, um members of his team as

08:49well as the mayor's team traveled to

08:51Durham to observe their model of

08:53alternative response. So, in addition to

08:56researching alternative response and

08:57other cities since December, um BC Moore

09:00has been leading a process of research

09:02and design that's included several

09:04partner summits um with stakeholders

09:07such as Mony, BPD, fire, hospitals,

09:09homeless services, the health

09:10department, BHSB, and Care Point

09:13response.

09:20Oops. So, as I stated, the Department of

09:22Neighborhood Safety will be a new city

09:24government agency that will do two

09:26things. It will codify the important

09:29work of Monty related to violence

09:31prevention and establish alternative

09:33response. Um, this has been several

09:36years in the making again when we go

09:37back to 2017 and this will now be that

09:40dedicated third branch of public safety.

09:43um it will be run in compliance with the

09:45consent decree um paragraph 97.

09:52So before we dive any further, I do just

09:54want to go over a few definitions um so

09:57that we can level set. Um starting with

09:59911 behavioral health diversion, which

10:01is essentially the redirection of

10:03emergency nonviolent 911 calls to the

10:06right level of support. Um, behavioral

10:08health calls can be things such as

10:10suicidal ideiations, petitions for

10:12emergency evaluation, or those posing a

10:15threat to themselves or others. Um, in

10:17some cases, as the council president

10:19mentioned, depending on the nature of

10:20the call, this could be responded to by

10:22a BPD co-response team, which includes a

10:25clinician and a BPD officer. Um, in

10:27other cases, it might be handled by that

10:29embedded clinician that's in the call

10:31center. The overarching goal is really

10:34to divert 911 calls that don't require

10:37an immediate law enforcement or EMS

10:39response to the right responder or the

10:41responder team. So this response we want

10:44to provide as a city should really match

10:46the nature and acuity of the caller's

10:48concerns. Um, so an alternative

10:50response, as the council president

10:51mentioned, would include a professional

10:53such as a social worker that's been

10:55trained in a peer instead of an armed

10:57officer or EMS to handle nonviolent

11:00low-level calls or mental health

11:02crisisdriven 911 calls. The common teams

11:05that we'll refer to throughout this

11:07presentation are the mobile response

11:09teams, the co-response teams, and

11:11alternative response teams. Um so

11:13starting with the mobile response team

11:15which was previously called the mobile

11:16crisis teams. These are the 988 teams

11:19which provide a licensed mental health

11:22clinician. A co-response team as I noted

11:25is that crisis intervention trained BPD

11:28officer and a mental health clinician.

11:30The alternative response teams that

11:32we're proposing would be a new addition

11:34to this ecosystem and that is the social

11:37worker and peer team. Um, I do want to

11:39pause just for a moment and

11:41differentiate the work of the community

11:42response teams that we're proposing um

11:45from the 988 mobile response teams. So,

11:48the 988 and their mobile response teams

11:50still remain a viable option for

11:52individuals with non-lifethreatening

11:54behavioral health concerns. Um 988 is a

11:57broad door for support um for suicidal

11:59thoughts, emotional distress, and drug

12:02and alcohol problems. So if an

12:04individual however is perceived to be an

12:06act of threat, that is when 911

12:08dispatching an alternative response team

12:10or a co-response team other than 988

12:13might be um more appropriate. Um and as

12:16the council president noted, what's also

12:18um critical about these alternative

12:20response or community response teams is

12:22that they will respond with the same

12:24speed as police, fire, and EMS because

12:27they will be on the CAD system and

12:28operate as that third branch of public

12:30safety.

12:34So, with the establishment of this new

12:35department, as I noted, we want to

12:37codify Monsy's work. Um, we also want to

12:40add this alternative response, and we're

12:42really looking to reduce that

12:43unnecessary law enforcement engagement,

12:45decrease emergency department, um,

12:47overutilization, and decrease the number

12:49of unnecessary ambulatory transports.

12:54So, shifting gears to talk a little bit

12:56more in depth about alternative

12:57response. Again, this refers to

12:59deploying a non-law enforcement team to

13:01eligible calls that don't require

13:04immediate police or fire and EMS

13:06presence. These are calls that could be

13:08safely managed by a social worker and

13:10peer. These might include a severe

13:12mental health crisis or a public

13:14nuisance report. Um, and the intention

13:16is for all of these teams and the city

13:19to comply with the consent decree um in

13:22uh providing 247 support, though it will

13:24not start off as a 247 model. Every

13:27staff member will be required to be

13:29trained in areas such as crisis

13:31deescalation, trauma-informed care,

13:34scene safety, and behavioral health

13:35condition recognition, just to name a

13:37few topics. And we know that this

13:39adequate and ongoing training will be

13:41very important um to the success of this

13:43expanded model. They will receive the

13:45same emphasis on training as colleagues

13:48in police and fire. And as I noted, they

13:50will be on that CAD system alongside

13:52police, EMS, and hospitals.

13:57So this is a visual representation of

14:00what this model will look like. Um in

14:02the red box we have everything that we

14:04are building towards and outside of the

14:06red box is elements of the system that

14:08already exists. So per SAMA guidelines

14:10we want to have someone to call, someone

14:13to respond, somewhere to go and someone

14:15to follow up. Um and we know that that

14:18somewhere to go and someone follow up is

14:20also critically important. Um, I also

14:22want to note that in that middle box,

14:24that community response team, those care

14:26continuity teams will be city-run

14:28services. 911 will serve as that initial

14:32entry point whereby someone might call

14:33for help. And depending on the nature of

14:35their call and what we ultimately

14:37determine to be the eligible call types,

14:39they'll be diverted to the most

14:40appropriate response. As noted, we

14:43already have those co-response teams or

14:44crisis intervention teams in the central

14:46district that consist of a clinician and

14:48BPD officer. This model will look to

14:50expand those teams. But shifting over to

14:52those elements in the red box that we'll

14:54be building, we would establish the

14:56city's first community response teams of

14:58a social worker and a peer. And those

15:00calls that are deemed eligible um would

15:03potentially go to those teams. After

15:05that initial engagement with the

15:06community response team, depending on

15:08what is needed, that individual might be

15:11directed to a resource hub, which would

15:13be a physical place um for someone to go

15:15and receive respit and support. and they

15:18would subsequently be followed up by

15:20care continuity team which would perform

15:22case management services. In that last

15:24column we have the medical connection.

15:26Um so BCORE which is an opioid um

15:29restitutionf funded grantee um is

15:32already in operation providing tea

15:34access services. This is a group of

15:36clinicians from Hopkins and Maryland as

15:38well as people encouraging people and

15:40the fire department. They can respond to

15:42calls that are related to need for

15:44medication assisted treatment or for

15:46individuals who are seeking support and

15:48linkage to recovery services um because

15:50of substance use disorder.

15:53Again, I just want to highlight that

15:54under this model, what we know will be

15:57really important is certainly that

15:58initial engagement, but is that ongoing

16:00followup potentially for those folks

16:02that we know might call EMS or call um

16:05911 quite a bit. We want to make sure

16:07that they continue to be connected to

16:09and coordinate their care.

16:17So, in closing, just to reinforce why

16:19expanding this ecosystem is so critical,

16:22uh we did a data analysis of about 2025

16:25um of our 2025 911 calls led by partners

16:27at the Law Enforcement Action

16:29Partnership that indicated about 22,000

16:31of the 911 calls um each year could be

16:34handled potentially by non-law

16:36enforcement. Um these include things

16:38like public nuisances, welfare checks,

16:40and public intoxication. and roughly a

16:43third of those calls are believed to

16:44involve individuals experiencing

16:46homelessness. Um, as with our initial

16:48roll out of 911 diversion, call types

16:50will be selected with care,

16:51consideration, and input from agency

16:53partners. Um, but while we've not yet

16:56finalized those call types, we do

16:57anticipate that these alternative

16:59response teams will be scaled up to

17:02appropriately address the call types

17:03that we select. The overarching goal of

17:05alternative response is simple. We want

17:07to ensure that every call receives the

17:09right response at the right time from

17:11the right team. The administration is

17:13excited to partner with the council

17:14president and the council on building

17:16this agency.

17:18Thank you.

17:19>> Thank you, Deputy Mayor. Uh I also want

17:21to recognize Vice President Middleton is

17:24in the house. Uh as well as Councilman

17:26Conway and Councilman Parker and I

17:30believe Councilman Blanchard joined us

17:32as well. uh colleagues just for a run of

17:35show tonight. We are going to hear from

17:40a star-studded panel of uh community

17:43representatives as well as uh hospitals,

17:47schools. Uh then we are going to hear

17:50our agency reports. Uh after that we

17:53will hear public testim I'm sorry after

17:56agency reports uh we will be able to ask

17:59questions of the agencies

18:02followed by testimony from the public.

18:05We will not be voting on this bill

18:07tonight. We want to give plenty of time

18:11for community and council to consider it

18:14and to do the deliberative deep thinking

18:17that uh we do. So with that again, thank

18:21you deputy mayor. We will now turn to

18:25our starstuddied panel and we will hear

18:28first from Dr. Melissa Buckley who is

18:32the chair and associate professor of the

18:34social work department at Coppen State

18:36University and a member of the

18:38traumainformed care task force. Dr.

18:40Buckley, you have three minutes and

18:44welcome to city hall.

18:47>> You gota push the

18:50All right, there we go. Good evening.

18:52Hey friends,

18:54um, [sighs and gasps] Council President

18:56Cohen, members of our, um, distinguished

18:58city council, and members of the public.

19:01I am Melissa Buckley, and I am a

19:03licensed social worker. I am an

19:05associate professor at the great Carpent

19:08State University. Um, I serve as the

19:10executive director of our Dorothy

19:12Heights Center for Social Justice. I am

19:14a member of the task force and I live

19:18here in our beautiful city. I live over

19:20east. Um and so I'm here checking all of

19:24those boxes um because this particular

19:27legislation is important to me

19:29personally and professionally. I'm here

19:32in support of the Department of

19:34Neighborhood Safety. When we talk about

19:36public safety, the conversation often

19:39centers around crime and violence and

19:41emergency response. And those are

19:43important concerns. But I think we also

19:46have to ask ourselves a broader

19:47question. What does it actually mean for

19:50individuals, families, and communities

19:53to feel safe? Because safety is not

19:55simply the absence of violence. It is

19:57also about having access to resources,

20:00experiencing stability, and knowing that

20:03when you or someone you love is in

20:05crisis, the response you receive will be

20:08appropriate. It will be compassionate

20:10and grounded in dignity. Baltimore has

20:13already demonstrated a commitment to

20:15this work. Through the Elijah Cummings

20:18Healing City Act, we became the first

20:20city in the nation to legislate a

20:22traumainformed care approach to

20:25governance. And that was significant

20:28because it acknowledged that trauma

20:31isn't simply an individual experience.

20:34It has implications for our families.

20:36And I heard you, council president, when

20:38you said heal, not punish. And that

20:41ought to be our emphasis. I also heard

20:44our deputy mayor mention the 22,000

20:47nonviolent um calls. And I think that we

20:51really need to be careful to in terms of

20:54how we're looking at crisis and to not

20:56forget that we are also talking about

20:58people who are experiencing poverty,

21:00housing instability, unmet behavioral

21:03health needs, and the cumulative effects

21:05of trauma, which all have implications

21:08for the safety and well-being of our

21:11communities. And so we often talk about

21:14the importance of community engagement,

21:16but I also want to be sure that we

21:19ensure that the community remains a part

21:20of this conversation. As we roll this

21:23out, we really must be sure that our

21:26neighbors are a part of what this looks

21:29like in the grand scheme of things. If

21:31we are serious about developing a

21:33community- centered approach, then

21:35community members [music]

21:36must have a meaningful role in shaping

21:38it. And so again, I am Melissa Buckley

21:41and I am in full support as long as our

21:44neighbors are also at the table. Thank

21:46you so much.

21:47>> Thank you so much, Dr. Buckley. Uh this

21:50work is about partnership with our

21:53schools of social work and with our

21:55hospitals as well. That is why I am so

21:57excited to welcome up next Dr. Redanda

22:01Miller who is the president of John's

22:03Hopkins Hospital.

22:05>> Thank you so much. Um, as as mentioned,

22:08I'm uh Dr. Rodanda Miller. I'm the

22:10president of the John's Hopkins

22:11Hospital. Proud to be in Baltimore City.

22:13I uh am very pleased to have the

22:16opportunity tonight to support City

22:18Council Bill 260221,

22:21the creation of the Department of

22:22Neighborhood Safety. I want to first

22:24thank uh Mayor Scott, who's not here,

22:26and you, City Council uh President

22:28Cohen, for your incredible leadership in

22:31this area. Um, we at Hopkins have had

22:34the good fortune to partner with the

22:35city on several initiatives. I want to

22:38just mention two in this arena. One is

22:40the hospital violence intervention

22:42program that we run. It's a

22:44multiddisciplinary team, case

22:46management, social workers, dedicated

22:48physicians, violence intervention

22:50specialists that really engages victims

22:53of violence the second they hit our

22:55hospital doors and try to prevent

22:57recurrent injury and support healing and

22:59growth. The second initiative is the

23:01gunlock program. This was also

23:03established with Monzi and

23:05representatives from um representative

23:08Mfume's office to really support the

23:10distribution of safe gun storage

23:13devices. We did that at Enoch Pratt

23:15Library and in our own trauma wards and

23:17the children's center and an adult. With

23:20that in mind and our experience with the

23:22center, I want to really once again

23:24reiterate our support of city council

23:26bill 260221.

23:29We believe that bill and the creation of

23:31the department of neighborhood safety

23:33will lead to more appropriate care for

23:36persons experiencing mental health and

23:39behavioral health crisis. We believe it

23:41will reduce the strain on our police and

23:44fire departments. And then from a

23:46hospital perspective, we believe it will

23:48also reduce strain on hospitals. If

23:51you've been to our EDs and you know our

23:53waiting times, it is not always the

23:56optimal place for patients experiencing

23:58a behavioral health crisis. Um it will

24:01also, if we get the patient to the right

24:03setting, free up a hospital bed to be

24:06available for someone with a more acute

24:08medical condition.

24:10You know, current state we have the

24:12ability to divert, as you heard, 911

24:14calls to 988 through two pathways. One

24:18is the nurse triage program established

24:20in September 2025 that really provides

24:24good clinical access to callers for

24:26self-care advice, teleaalth, primary

24:29care, and so forth. And it also provides

24:32basic life support transports over 4,000

24:35since its inception. The second pathway

24:38through this diversion is through um

24:40connecting eligible callers to

24:42behavioral health clinicians and when

24:44available mobile crisis teams. We need

24:48to expand that work. I want to just

24:50reiterate bottom line. I feel strongly

24:53that expanding these diversion pathways

24:55through the creation of this department

24:58makes perfect sense. We've seen it borne

25:00out in other cities like Durham. We've

25:02seen it borne out in medical literature.

25:05So I'm convinced this is the right way

25:07to go. If we we will reduce unnecessary

25:10hospitalizations and ED visits, but most

25:13importantly I want to leave you with the

25:15thought we will provide the right care

25:17for these patients in the right setting.

25:20Um so I will just end there. Thank you

25:22again for your time.

25:26>> Thank you so much Dr. Miller. Uh just a

25:28brief housekeeping note for all in

25:31attendance. We do have pizza in the

25:33other room. Uh we are a trauma-informed

25:36city and if you don't have pizza, you're

25:38not trauma-informed. So uh if anyone is

25:41hungry, colleagues included, uh please

25:44feel free to grab a slice. With that, uh

25:48one of the folks who [music] has been

25:50doing this work for a very very very

25:53long time with the utmost integrity is

25:57Ray Kelly. Uh incredibly excited to have

26:01Ry here. He is the executive director of

26:04the Citizens Policing Project and

26:06director of community outreach and

26:08engagement for Care Point response. Mr.

26:11Kelly, the floor is yours for three

26:13minutes.

26:16>> Thank you, Mr. President, and good

26:18evening, members of the council.

26:21As stated, I'm Ray Kelly, a longtime

26:23West Baltimore community organizer, and

26:27I'm here today in full support of the

26:29concept of the proposed legislation to

26:32create a Department of Neighborhood

26:34Safety. And I want to be clear from the

26:37beginning, supporting the concept does

26:40not mean overlooking the details.

26:43In fact, the details are what matter

26:46most.

26:47How gaps in services are filled, how

26:50account how accountability is

26:52maintained, how community safety is

26:55protected, and how unintended

26:57consequences consequences are

27:00proactively addressed will ultimately

27:03determine whether this legislation

27:06achieves its intended goals.

27:09Those considerations are not reasons to

27:12reject the concept. They are reasons to

27:14get the implementation right.

27:17For more than a decade, we have

27:19advocated for alternative responses that

27:22recognize not every crisis requires the

27:25same intervention.

27:27And my support for this approach did not

27:29begin today. It extends through my work

27:32with the no boundaries coalition

27:35continued with the code of

27:37recommendations and it remains central

27:40in our efforts with the citizens

27:42policing project and careoint response.

27:45Throughout those years, we have

27:47consistently heard from residents,

27:49families, youth, service providers, and

27:53people with lived experience who have

27:55called for responses that are rooted in

27:58prevention, deescalation,

28:00connection to services, and community

28:04trust.

28:05The lived experiences of impacted

28:08communities has taught us that many

28:10people facing behavioral health

28:12challenges, substance use concerns,

28:16homelessness, trauma, and other complex

28:19circumstances often need support that

28:22goes beyond the traditional enforcement

28:25response. They need people who are

28:27trained to meet them where they are, who

28:30understand the realities they are

28:32facing, and that will connect them with

28:35the resources necessary to stabilize and

28:38move forward.

28:41This legislation represents an

28:43opportunity to build a more responsive

28:46and re effective system. It reflects

28:49what many community members have been

28:51asking for for over a decade. A broader

28:54toolkit of responses that recognize the

28:58complexity of human needs

29:01with preserving public safety.

29:04At the same time, we must ensure that

29:07imple implementation is thoughtful. We

29:10need clear standards, sustainable

29:13funding, strong coordination among

29:16agencies and providers, meaningful

29:19community engagement, and ongoing

29:21evaluation of outcomes. We have to

29:24identify potential gaps and

29:26disadvantages early and address them

29:29before we be they become boundaries to

29:33success.

29:34I support this legislation because I

29:37believe the underlying vision aligns

29:39with what impacted communities have

29:41repeatedly told us they need. I

29:44encourage you to advance the concept

29:47while continue the important work of

29:50ensuring that its implementation is

29:52equitable, effective, and accountable.

29:56And I thank you for your time and

29:58consideration.

29:59>> Thank you so much, Mr. Kelly. uh

30:02thrilled to be able to join to bring up

30:04Sarah Whe

30:08overdose response for the city of

30:10Baltimore. She was also a uh co-joiner

30:13on our Durham trip and we were blessed

30:16to snatch her up from John's Hopkins.

30:18So, uh Director Why, it is good to have

30:21you with us tonight.

30:23>> Thank you so much for having me. Good

30:25evening, council president and members

30:26of the city council. Again, my name is

30:28Sarah Whe and I have the honor of

30:30serving as executive director for the

30:31Office of Overdose Response. I really

30:34appreciate the opportunity to stand up

30:36here today alongside of these amazing

30:38partners that have been doing this

30:39advocacy work for a long time. And thank

30:41you, Council President, for your

30:43advocacy. The mayor is not here, but

30:45thank you for his vision and the support

30:47from uh Chief Merrill and Dr. Gerza, um

30:51Deputy Mayor Johnson, and countless

30:52others. I'm going to eat up my whole

30:54three minutes thanking everyone. Um BC

30:57Moore is new to this space. There are

30:59folks that have been doing this for a

31:01long time. Um and as the newbies, one of

31:03the things that we needed to do um was

31:06look at what is happening in the city.

31:08So, a year and a half ago, the BC Moore

31:10team in our role in overseeing the

31:12opioid restitution funds and with

31:14paragraph 97 of the consent decree um

31:17began mapping out the current landscape

31:19of Baltimore's behavioral health

31:20ecosystem and its supports, including

31:23how people um how we respond to people

31:26with behavioral health needs, including

31:28things like substance use disorders, uh

31:30mental health needs, and people who are

31:32in crisis. Dr. Jazza mentioned the over

31:3620,000 calls um that we received last

31:39year that were not medical emergencies

31:42were not about crimes um and may not

31:45have posed a safety risk. Many of these

31:47calls were just calls for support. And

31:50being a Baltimore resident, I have had

31:52my own experiences of meeting a neighbor

31:54in need and not knowing what to do. And

31:58that's to say that Baltimore's ecosystem

32:00is not lacking good responders or not

32:02lacking resources. We have, we've

32:05mentioned a lot of them, the embedded

32:06clinicians at 911, a robust 988 and

32:09mobile response system, the co-response

32:13teams, um the CIT trained officers, and

32:16I also have to mention the amazing

32:18street outreach teams that are every day

32:20out there meeting people where they are.

32:22But what we are still building is a

32:24system that connects all of these

32:26resources and is accountable at every

32:28hour of the day and also that creates a

32:30pathway that doesn't wait for someone to

32:33be in crisis, doesn't wait for that

32:35emergency um but a s but really a system

32:38that doesn't criminalize individuals for

32:40being unhoused for having mental health

32:42needs or for using drugs. To help

32:46understand all of this, again, the BC

32:49Moore team began meeting with experts

32:50across the country. We got to go along

32:52on the Durham trip. Um, I also went to

32:54Denver. We met with Seattle, San Diego,

32:57Albuquerque, and Evston to learn about

32:59different crisis response models across

33:01the country. We engaged with the

33:03Baltimore City uh behavioral health

33:06collaborative who has been deeply

33:07engaged in this work for a long long

33:10time to learn about their

33:11recommendations and what they see for

33:13the city. Um, and we also held a series

33:17of summits with city agencies, with

33:19community organizations, and with the

33:21hospital systems to propose a plan and

33:24refine it for a plan that fits

33:26Baltimore. Um, I will summarize by

33:29saying that this plan um builds out that

33:32system matching the response um to the

33:35need and building a system that helps

33:37prevent crises and repeat calls through

33:39expanded low barrier safe spaces. Thank

33:42you.

33:43Thank you so much. Director Whley Arch

33:46Macau is the vice president of the

33:49community relations council of southeast

33:51of the southeast district. Uh he is also

33:54affectionately known as the Batman of

33:57Mark Parker and Tony Glover's districts

33:59respectively.

34:01>> Hey um thank you council president and

34:04uh good evening uh to the esteemed

34:05members of city council. Uh so yeah, for

34:08nearly 20 years I've worked with

34:10neighbors, police officers, and city

34:11leaders to make our community safer. And

34:14that experience is why I support the

34:16proposed Department of Neighborhood

34:17Safety. So like when you spend as much

34:20time as I have uh doing community safety

34:22work, you learn that people call for

34:25help with very different problems. So

34:28some situations require a police officer

34:30immediately. Others involve someone in

34:32crisis, maybe a conflict that needs

34:35mediation, or it could be a family that

34:37needs help finding services. Our

34:40responses should reflect these

34:42differences. I've worked alongside

34:44dedicated Southeast District officers

34:46for years, like you said, probably

34:48almost 20 years, and uh we ask a great

34:51deal of them. Um, [clears throat] having

34:52trained alternative responders handle

34:54appropriate calls could give officers

34:57more time to respond to crime,

34:59investigate neighborhood concerns, and

35:01build relationships with residents. It

35:04could also uh connect someone in crisis

35:07with people equipped to address the

35:09underlying problem. So for me, the

35:12opportunity is to move beyond repeatedly

35:15responding to the same situation. If we

35:18can connect someone with treatment, with

35:21support, and meaningful followup, we

35:24have a better chance of helping that

35:26person and reducing these repeated calls

35:29from frustrated neighbors that I get

35:31messages from like every day. Um, I also

35:34appreciate this proposal's attention to

35:36victims and to neighborhoods after

35:39traumatic events, which Zeke has focused

35:41on a lot with his services, and we thank

35:44you for that. Um, in community safety

35:46work, you see how violence affects

35:48families. You see how violence affects

35:50witnesses, how it affects businesses,

35:52and it affects entire blocks. An arrest

35:55matters enormously, but people also need

35:58support afterwards. A coordinated

36:01neighborhood response, I think, can help

36:03that meet that need. Um, implementation

36:05will matter. Um, I'm encouraged that the

36:08proposal requires agreements with police

36:10and fire on screening 911 calls. it uh

36:13includes sharing information and

36:15escalating the response when necessary.

36:17So these procedures they need to work in

36:19practice so residents and responders are

36:22all protected, right? Um and the

36:25commitment to community input and public

36:28reporting matters and a few um of my

36:30predecessors up here mentioned that um

36:32residents should help shape these

36:34services and we should be able to see

36:36whether they're improving safety,

36:39connecting people with care and reducing

36:41recurring problems. So after nearly 20

36:44years in my experience here in Baltimore

36:46um doing this type of safety stuff on

36:48the ground, my measure of success is

36:50really straightforward and it focuses on

36:52three things. Number one, are our

36:54neighbors our neighborhoods safer? Um,

36:58are people getting effective help? And

37:01third, can our officers focus where

37:03their skills and authority are needed

37:05most? So, I believe this proposal gives

37:08Baltimore an opportunity to make

37:10progress on all three points and that's

37:12why I support it. Thank you.

37:16>> Thank you so much. Arch Dr. Dr. Kyla

37:19Liot Creel is the executive director of

37:22Embrace from the University of Maryland

37:24Baltimore and a great great great

37:27partner in our city. Dr. K, Dr. Kyla,

37:30you're up.

37:31>> Thank you. Whatever my name is. Hi

37:33everybody. Good evening. Uh it's a

37:34pleasure to be here. I am a 25 year uh

37:38experienced social worker, LCSSWC, state

37:41registered supervisor for social

37:42workers. Um, I'm also a mom and part of

37:46why I'm here is to bring forth the

37:49experience of real people and what this

37:50is about. Five years ago, I sat on the

37:53floor of my child's bedroom and my child

37:55is black, trans, on the spectrum,

37:57multiple disabilities with mental health

37:59issues. He gave me permission to share

38:01this. And I sat there one night when he

38:04was having a mental health crisis and he

38:06needed something different than mom and

38:08dad, right? And we thought, okay, what

38:11do we do? and we couldn't do anything. I

38:14could not risk calling 911 and risk my

38:18child's life. And that's the decision I

38:21had to make. So, we had to sit there all

38:23night holding him and helping him be

38:26safe. That is not something that we want

38:29for everybody to have to do. And so part

38:32of that led into the work that we do um

38:35over near Lexington Market where we have

38:37a co-response model because we realize

38:39it can't just be one person trying to

38:42respond to these types of crises. So for

38:45four years we have had police

38:46co-responding with social workers,

38:48social work interns, peer recovery

38:51specialists and peer re-entry

38:53specialists because we know the voices

38:55of the community, the people who are

38:57trusted are the best people to do this

38:59work. And so we have also convened 60

39:02different grassroots and nonprofit

39:04organizations to be there on that front

39:07line to be able to respond when these

39:09crises happen. So that's why I am very

39:12much in favor of this, not only as a

39:14social worker, as a nonprofit convenor,

39:17but also as a mom who can tell you we

39:19have to have this so that we can keep

39:21our families safe. Thank you.

39:24>> Thank you so much for sharing uh that

39:27really personal story. We appreciate

39:29you.

39:30Candi Kerr is the communications manager

39:33of the Baltimore Harm Reduction

39:36Coalition. Candi is no stranger to this

39:39chamber and we appreciate you being here

39:41tonight.

39:43>> Thank you. Um I just want to name Thank

39:46you for sharing that.

39:49[snorts]

39:52Oh, I don't want to take up my three

39:53minutes and it's not about me, but

39:54that's really powerful and that's uh

39:57100% why we need this. Um, [snorts]

40:00I am Candy Kerr still. Um, I am still

40:04the communications manager at Baltimore

40:05Harm Reduction Coalition. Um, I'm also

40:09black, so there's that. Um, I'm also a

40:12person who I'm an alcoholic. Um, I'm a

40:15sober alcoholic at this point in time.

40:17Um, but I haven't always been that way.

40:20Um, [snorts]

40:21you know, I got sober and I learned in

40:25the place that I got sober that you

40:27don't go alone whenever somebody calls

40:29you um and may or may not be drinking or

40:32is about to start drinking. Um, and so

40:37there were moments and there have been

40:38different times in that in my [snorts]

40:40sobriety where um, someone has called me

40:43and I haven't known what to do because I

40:45can't go by myself. um I might not be

40:48able to grab somebody else to go with me

40:50and I am also not comfortable calling

40:54the only the only thing that I have

40:57available to me. Um because I know that

41:00um that not everybody is equipped to

41:02handle that. You know what I mean? Like

41:04if I'm not equipped to handle that, that

41:05means that other people aren't as well,

41:07especially people um

41:10potentially with guns. And so, um, on a

41:14personal level, this is something that

41:16I've been asking for for an extended

41:18period of time is a way to be able to

41:20reach people, um, in mental health

41:22crisis with substance abuse. Um, you

41:27know, people, public intoxication is

41:29part of that. Um, just people that need

41:32resources and maybe a little bit of time

41:34and a little bit of love and compassion

41:35in a way that is different that has been

41:37given.

41:38Um, everybody has a place in the

41:40movement. Everybody has a place and so

41:42adding this new arm feels like a

41:48feels like a necessary step. Um I work

41:51in harm reduction. We are trauma

41:52informed. Um we move through like

41:55evidence-based

41:56um solutions and innovations and I'm

42:00really grateful and we're really lucky

42:02to be able to do that in this city. And

42:04this is another moment where we are

42:06being, you know, we're being given a new

42:09tool for this like problem. And I I'm

42:13grateful and we're supportive of that

42:15because it's what we need. Um, and I

42:18think that one of the ways that we will

42:20continue to be supportive of this is if

42:22we do what everybody is naming, right,

42:24we need to make sure that we keep

42:25everybody that's affected involved,

42:27right? I'm grateful to be here to be

42:29able to speak um for the communities

42:31that um I serve, the communities that

42:34people that do harm reduction work

42:36serve. And also

42:39I think it's imperative

42:42My time is up, but I think [laughter]

42:46it gets me every time. Um but I think

42:49it's imperative to keep having these

42:50conversations publicly and privately so

42:52that everybody knows what's going on

42:54because transparency is key. So, thank

42:56you for, you know, having me.

42:58>> Thank you so much, Candi. Dr. Daniel

43:00Webster is Bloomberg Professor of

43:03American Health at the John's Hopkins

43:05Bloomberg School of Public Health. Also,

43:08no stranger to this chamber. Dr.

43:10Webster, it's good to have you here

43:11tonight.

43:13>> Thank you, Council President Cohen, and

43:15members, uh, council members here. Um,

43:19for this I I wanted to testify in

43:22support very strongly in support of this

43:24legislation to create a department of

43:26neighborhood safety for Baltimore City.

43:29Uh, I want to also uh, before I get into

43:31my specific remarks, acknowledge that

43:33the views I express here, my own, do not

43:37necessarily reflect policy or positions

43:40of the Johns Hopkins University.

43:43Um most of my comments are going to

43:45focus on codifying monzi. Uh but just

43:49very briefly the other aspect so many

43:52people have spoken so eloquently and

43:54strongly about that. Uh I I advise uh

43:58the uh a doctoral public health student

44:01who is also a police chief of Rapid

44:04City, South Dakota. And um during my

44:09time advising him, he did exactly what

44:11you're hoping to do here. It has

44:15benefited that community and his

44:16department greatly to address all the

44:19multiple needs. So I just sort of wanted

44:21to say that briefly, but again there's

44:24more expertise on that question around

44:26me. I want to speak to uh to the Monzi

44:30dimension of this. So, I've studied

44:32various strategies to reduce violence in

44:34communities and homes over 30 years and

44:37led several studies of programs and

44:39practices in Baltimore. And I've advised

44:43city leaders on violence prevention

44:44strategies in Baltimore and elsewhere.

44:47One reason that Baltimore has enjoyed

44:50historic success in reducing homicides

44:52without significantly increasing arrest

44:55is because it's taken a holistic

44:57approach to public safety that is

45:00consistent with best practices. Fair and

45:02effective law enforcement will always be

45:05critical to public safety, but also that

45:08they are focused focused on the things

45:10that we need them to do. This bill

45:14allows them to do that. But the program

45:16that uh programs that Monzi oversees,

45:20group violence reduction strategy,

45:21community violence intervention programs

45:24and services for victims of gun

45:25violence, domestic violence, and human

45:27trafficking. They're all vital parts of

45:30a public health public health and safety

45:33system. And honestly, it's sort of the

45:35core of what I teach in my graduate

45:37students is is how we should approach

45:40these issues. Research shows that GBRS

45:43has contributed to the reductions in

45:45homicides in Baltimore and approach is

45:47arguably has the best track record for

45:50reducing gun violence in cities with one

45:53important caveat. The strate strategy

45:57has to be implemented with fidelity and

45:59managed effectively. ensuring that the

46:01strategy and expertise is effectively

46:04implemented

46:05um uh so it lasts beyond a mayoral

46:08administration is very important.

46:11[clears throat]

46:12Further, my colleagues and I have found

46:14that programs like safe streets can save

46:16lives. I've seen what happens when CVI

46:19programs are neglected in other cities

46:21and try to survive year-to-year

46:24uncertainties in investment and

46:26commitment. The outcomes are not good.

46:29That is why I strongly support this bill

46:32that codifies Monzie important roles and

46:34contributes to Baltimore's public safety

46:37and serves its victims.

46:40Thank you.

46:42>> Thank you, Dr. Webster. Last, but

46:45certainly not least, we have Christa

46:47Taylor, who is the president and CEO of

46:50Behavioral Health Systems Baltimore.

46:54>> Hi. Thank you. Thank you, Council

46:56President Cohen and members of the city

46:58council for the opportunity to be here

47:00today. As mentioned, my name is Christa

47:02Taylor. I'm the president and CEO of

47:03Behavioral Health System Baltimore, also

47:05known as BHSB. BHSB is a nonprofit that

47:09serves as a local behavioral health

47:10authority for Baltimore City. In this

47:13role, we partner with Baltimore City and

47:14the Maryland Department of Health to

47:16oversee and manage the public behavioral

47:18health system. BHSB also co-chairs the

47:21behavioral health collaborative which

47:23was mentioned earlier and we co-chair

47:24that along with the mayor's office and

47:26the Baltimore Police Department. The

47:28behavioral health collaborative is a

47:30group of community stakeholders that

47:31helps build out a comprehensive,

47:33integrated and responsive behavioral

47:35health system while also assisting

47:37Baltimore City with meeting its

47:39obligations under paragraph 97 of the

47:41consent decree. The Behavioral Health

47:44Collaborative has been instrumental in

47:45helping BHSB and Baltimore City build

47:48the infrastructure needed to integrate

47:50the emergency response system with

47:53behavioral health crisis services. Over

47:56the last several years, we've worked to

47:58grow the 988 helpline to meet the

48:00increasing demand. The 98 the 988

48:03helpline answers more than 4,000 calls

48:05per month with 90% of those calls being

48:08resolved on the phone. We've also worked

48:11to expand uh access to mobile crisis

48:13services, a highintensity behavioral

48:16health clinical intervention deployed by

48:19988. A mobile crisis team includes a

48:22master's prepared mental health

48:23professional and peer support

48:25specialists that respond in the

48:26community following triage and

48:28assessment by a 988 counselor. Mobile

48:31crisis teams provide urgent behavioral

48:33health evaluation, brief therapeutic

48:36intervention, and fast connection to

48:38treatment and other behavioral health

48:40services. Mobile crisis services are not

48:43an immediate emergency response like 911

48:46calls for police and fire and the

48:48soon-to-be alternative emergency

48:50response teams. An alternative emergency

48:53response team could find that a person

48:55they are assisting may have unadressed

48:57behavioral health needs. They would then

48:59connect the person to behavioral health

49:00services and resources in the community

49:03which may include mobile crisis services

49:05if an acute behavioral health need is

49:07identified.

49:09Interconnectivity between 911 and

49:12services within the behavioral health

49:13system like 988 and mobile crisis is a

49:16critical component of a comprehensive

49:18emergency response system. A non-law

49:21enforcement response to 911 calls like

49:24alternative emergency response teams is

49:26something BHSB, the Behavioral Health

49:29Collaborative, and the community have

49:30been calling for. BHSB is happy to be

49:33here tonight in support of this

49:35legislation. The creation of the

49:37Department of Neighborhood Safety brings

49:39Baltimore a step closer to providing the

49:41right help anywhere, anytime, for

49:44anyone. It ensures the least police

49:47response possible and it prioritizes

49:49care in the community. BHSB looks

49:52forward to working with the city to

49:53build from the existing robust

49:55behavioral health crisis response

49:56infrastructure already in place to stand

49:59up alternative emergency response teams.

50:02Thank you to Mayor Scott, Council

50:04President Cohen, the mayor's office, and

50:06the city council for your leadership and

50:08efforts to bring this critical service

50:10to Baltimore. Thank you. Thank you so

50:12much, Christa, and thank you to our

50:14entire panel for really centering

50:17community in this work. Uh, this will

50:20require immense and deep partnership for

50:23us to get it right. And I just want to

50:26appreciate all the voices that shared

50:28with us tonight as well as folks who are

50:30going to testify later. With that, we

50:34are going to turn to our agency reports.

50:38First, we will hear from the law

50:41department.

50:43Law department.

50:45>> Thank you, President Cohen. Jeff

50:46Hawkstler with the law department. Uh,

50:48as explained in law's report, we can

50:51approve the bill for formal legal

50:52sufficiency. Uh, we did make uh

50:54recommendations for a couple of minor

50:55amendments and it looks like those are

50:58in the amendments in the bill packet.

51:00>> That is correct and thank you for those

51:04uh amendments and for uh your report.

51:07Uh, next we'll hear from Mayor's Office

51:09of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement,

51:11Director Stephanie Mavonis. You are up.

51:14>> Thank you, Council President Cohen and

51:15honorable members of the city council.

51:17I'm Director Stephanie Mronis from the

51:19mayor's office of neighborhood safety

51:20and engagement here to provide a report

51:23um both on behalf of Monzy as well as

51:25the office of returning citizens, which

51:27is included within our department. The

51:30proposed Department of Neighborhood

51:32Safety would build on the foundation

51:34laid by our team at Montzy since our

51:36office was established in December of

51:382020. This legislation would codify and

51:41sustain the city's public health

51:42approach to violence prevention and

51:44intervention efforts like the group

51:46violence reduction strategy, coordinated

51:48neighborhood stabilization response,

51:51safe streets, hospital-based violence

51:52intervention, and more that alongside

51:55the important work of our Baltimore

51:57Police Department and prosecutors are

51:59helping drive down homicides and

52:00shootings to historic lows. It would

52:04also expand Baltimore's public safety

52:05apparatus to include alternate response

52:08and violence prevention alongside the

52:10critically important work of law

52:12enforcement and fire and EMS. Including

52:14these functions in city code solidifies

52:17the city's commitment to these

52:19strategies long term, and it's a

52:21commitment and recognition that this

52:23work is too important to be subject to

52:25changing political winds. Um, and with

52:28that, I'd happy to provide a favorable

52:30report um, and extend our support behind

52:32city council bill 26-0221.

52:35Thank you.

52:36>> Thank you so much, Director Meonis, and

52:39again, appreciate your good work. Next,

52:42we have the Mayor's Office of Homeless

52:45Services.

52:48>> Good evening, everyone. I'm Ernest Dina

52:49Simmons. I serve as the director for the

52:51Mayor's Office of Homeless Services. We

52:54are here in support of the creation of

52:57the department of neighborhood safety.

52:59MoS has a long history of partnering

53:01with 988 helpline, community crisis

53:04network, street outreach, other city

53:06agencies, and non-law enforcement public

53:08safety providers. We recognize that

53:11housing insecurity, behavioral health,

53:13and public safety are deeply linked, and

53:15our outreach teams directly engages

53:17individuals facing these challenges in

53:19public spaces during postcrisis

53:22deployments. Mohs works alongside city

53:24agencies for stabilization efforts to

53:27deliver rapid emergency shelter and

53:29basic needs assistance. Establishing DNS

53:33directly strengthens the current

53:35collaborative efforts with the mayor's

53:38office of homeless services and other

53:39agencies. The care first framework of

53:42the department's alternative response

53:44system delivers interventions alongside

53:47clinical staff and social workers who

53:49provides comprehensive support ranging

53:51from immediate mental health support to

53:53ongoing care management. These services

53:56are essential to MOHS and the population

53:59we serve because those experiencing

54:01homelessness disproportionately face

54:03nonviolent behavioral health crisis.

54:05Trauma in complex medical needs that

54:07require supportive interventions rather

54:10than law enforcement response. We we

54:13continue to remain excited about what

54:15this alternative response will mean. I I

54:18like to point out to people your

54:21greatest opportunity to impact is

54:23drawing a crisis and this is going to

54:25meet a person at the time that they're

54:26asking us for help. They're asking us

54:28for support and so part of this has the

54:31resource hubs and the support behind the

54:34response. So we are in support of

54:36alternative response.

54:38>> Thank you so much director. Next we'll

54:40hear from the office of returning

54:41citizens.

54:44The office of returning citizens is

54:46housed within Monty and so the report

54:48that I provided is also on behalf of the

54:50office of returning citizens.

54:51>> Outstanding. All right. Next, we will

54:53hear from the fire department.

54:57>> Good evening, council president, members

54:58of the council. Chief James Wallace on

55:00behalf of the Baltimore City Fire

55:02Department. The department stands by its

55:04submitted report. We are in full support

55:06of the intent as well as the proposed

55:08amendments. Thank you, sir.

55:10>> Thank you, Chief. Next, we'll hear from

55:12the police department.

55:13>> Yep. Good evening. It's uh Commissioner

55:15Richard Brley. Baltimore Police

55:16Department uh fully supports Council

55:19Bill 26-0221

55:22and its goal of establishing a

55:23department of neighborhood safety. Thank

55:25you.

55:26>> Thank you, Commissioner. And finally,

55:29the Department of Finance.

55:35>> Hi, good evening. Bob Sen, deputy

55:37finance director representing the

55:39Department of Finance. Um just a couple

55:41comments on on the financials on this.

55:43So, first the bill simply um codifies

55:46the department and it clearly states

55:48that um you know any appropriations for

55:51this agency must be included in each

55:53year's ordinance of estimates. So, in

55:54and of itself, the bill doesn't create

55:56any new fiscal uh commitment that still

55:58has to go through the budget process.

56:00You know, ultimately the cost of this u

56:02ne uh neighborhood safety department,

56:04you know, will depend on the staffing

56:06model and the costs for service that it

56:08takes on. So, there's still a lot of

56:09work to do to to clarify that. Um, we

56:12did want to say as proposed the the um

56:15the department would be funded by opioid

56:17restitution funds and we just want to

56:19acknowledge those are time limited

56:20funds. So there's still some work to do

56:22to figure out what's a sustainable model

56:24for this department going forward. You

56:26know, we could see a world where if

56:27calls are diverted from police and fire

56:30to this new department, there could be

56:31savings that we have in the police and

56:33fire departments to get redirected um to

56:35department of neighborhood safety. So

56:37there's I think still some work to do um

56:39you know on all all parties part to

56:41figure out how we can make this more

56:42sustainable and we'll be continuing to

56:44work with the mayor's office and the

56:46other partner agencies to try to make

56:47this work.

56:49>> Thanks so much uh director Cinema. I

56:52will now open it up to questions from

56:57city council members. Um I'm going to

56:59start with the vice president if folks

57:01could do in this first round two

57:04questions. Um, and that can include

57:07follow-ups if needed. Uh, Vice President

57:10Middleton, start with you.

57:12>> And I'll start with a a statement and

57:14then a question. But, um, I guess the

57:17statement is probably going to be a

57:20little longer. Um, I first want to um

57:25thank the mayor and his team for um

57:29including the council president and the

57:31total council in really being a part and

57:35a stakeholder in

57:38helping to try to make this office a

57:41success.

57:43And I say that because of my longevity

57:48on the council and um sitting here

57:52listening and just saying, "Wow, we have

57:56reached this far." And I give that

58:00credit to Mayor Scott because

58:03I try to keep saying I've been doing

58:07this now for 20 years, my fifth term,

58:10fifth mayor, fifth council president,

58:15and I've watched all of this evolve

58:20um just hands on from

58:24the center of my district, Park Heights,

58:27and a lot of People don't know this, but

58:30safe streets started in Park Heights. We

58:34are us started in Park Heights. The

58:37center of hope at um Sinai LifeBridge

58:41started in Park Heights. Um we have a

58:46very strong uh community action center

58:49in Northwest Baltimore

58:51that's in Park Heights. And all of those

58:56little pieces have been extensions to

58:59help around the entire city. And because

59:03this mayor, this mayor was part of that

59:07community and could have been one of

59:11those statistics

59:13and was not. and he has been really

59:16pouring in and continues to pour in his

59:19personal experiences

59:21a and just watching how this evolves is

59:25just um it's phenomenal.

59:28Um,

59:30I know we have a duty here on the

59:32council to for um accountability and

59:37making sure there's community input

59:40and um I'm feeling and I know that we're

59:44going to do that because I feel that

59:47um and just listening to the council

59:49president's speech, he's wide open and

59:53ready for that strong partnership.

59:56listening to all of um our outside

1:00:00sources that were social workers, um

1:00:03hospital, um people that have been in

1:00:06the community for a long time and these

1:00:10are people that care and are in those

1:00:13neighborhoods 100%. I look around and

1:00:16see people that I know that have been

1:00:18affected by some of the violence. But

1:00:22one of the added pieces that I serve on,

1:00:26and I always bring up my National

1:00:28Association of Counties and the Maryland

1:00:30Association of Counties, which I have

1:00:32also been serving the city on as for on

1:00:35the board of directors. And so I have

1:00:39also have an opportunity to see our

1:00:42mayor

1:00:44work firsthand on what he does around

1:00:48this country from what is going on here

1:00:52in Baltimore. And it's because of him

1:00:55that we are on that map around the

1:00:57country. I just came and I'm this is

1:01:00important stuff if you don't mind Mr.

1:01:02President just a few that I want to

1:01:04share. I just, you know, a lot of people

1:01:07see some of us attend conferences and

1:01:10and things, but we also pick up best

1:01:13practices. The places that I go, they

1:01:17want to hear from Mayor Scott and what

1:01:20and the things that he is doing in this

1:01:23city to and what has really happened to

1:01:27um help with the violence. He has just

1:01:30and I I got a call this morning to for a

1:01:34place that they would like him to be and

1:01:37wanted my assistance. So he is

1:01:41um sharing the good things that are

1:01:44happening here that we sadly to say are

1:01:48not getting equal

1:01:51ground with um our own in our own media.

1:01:58And um

1:02:00as a person that have just seen all

1:02:02perspectives from ver both ends all of

1:02:05us in here it's just such this is ve uh

1:02:09you don't know how important this this

1:02:12department is going to be. I know and I

1:02:16know the president knows and our council

1:02:19members but we're the ones that also get

1:02:21the calls for trying to figure out where

1:02:25how should we help. things are kind of

1:02:27like, you know, we have pockets of every

1:02:31everybody's doing in things in their own

1:02:33silos, but I see this department trying

1:02:36to bring that added piece that of course

1:02:39the fire department and the police have

1:02:42been so overloaded on. So, um, I'll stop

1:02:47there and just get to, um, I guess a

1:02:50question because part of our goal is

1:02:53helping to make sure things are

1:02:54accountable and that we try to continue

1:02:59to get that community input. And so, I

1:03:03know we as a council get an annual

1:03:05report that you submit to us. you know,

1:03:09the routine things that we get from

1:03:12every agency that we take our time to

1:03:14look at and go over. But I guess I think

1:03:17we really need for this office, we

1:03:19really need to hone in on performance.

1:03:23What performance measures do you have in

1:03:25place? um just meaningful things to

1:03:31bring to for that progress because

1:03:35all of these entities that I mentioned

1:03:37they get so much scrutiny and um like

1:03:41safe streets I mean these are god that

1:03:44people they don't really understand that

1:03:47these are people that can reach people

1:03:51because they've been there in so many

1:03:53different ways and they instead of

1:03:56getting the praise and help that they

1:03:58deserve, they get scrutinized, but they

1:04:01still are at it and do it because it's

1:04:04in their hearts. So, um, those things

1:04:07like performance measures are things

1:04:09that we need to know and help support.

1:04:12And I guess this is another department

1:04:14that we need that strong data so we can

1:04:19be prepared to market this the right way

1:04:22and help our media outlets to understand

1:04:26the importance of this next step because

1:04:29this is a this is a huge next step to

1:04:32bring all this stuff together. So if

1:04:35anyone or two can just answer some of

1:04:38that I guess that'll be a start. And so,

1:04:41Madame Vice President, just to

1:04:42encapsulate asking for initial

1:04:45performance metrics for the Department

1:04:47of Neighborhood Safety,

1:04:50>> Deputy Mayor.

1:04:50>> Yes, Vice President Middleton, thank you

1:04:52so much for that question. Now, while we

1:04:54have not necessarily finalized what all

1:04:56of the performance metrics will be, we

1:04:58completely agree there will be a need to

1:05:00have significant performance metrics

1:05:02that we're reporting out. A part of what

1:05:04we want to do from the very beginning is

1:05:06have an evaluation partner. And as we

1:05:08bring on this evaluation partner, they

1:05:10will help us determine what are the

1:05:12appropriate ones. There are high level

1:05:13ones that we think reduction in um I

1:05:16mentioned reduction in 911 or police

1:05:18response to 911 calls that that don't

1:05:20require police response. We'll of course

1:05:22look at I think I've mentioned ED

1:05:24utilization and transports by EMS. Um

1:05:27but I want to bring on our evaluation

1:05:29partner who will also help to provide

1:05:31guidance um around these specific

1:05:33measures. But yes, agree that they

1:05:35should be reported out.

1:05:36>> Okay.

1:05:38Thank you. Is there Go ahead.

1:05:39>> Sorry. Go ahead.

1:05:40>> I just if there's anyone else that needs

1:05:43to comment on accountability and

1:05:47of how you're going to do the

1:05:49accountability because I know that's

1:05:51going to be one piece that's probably

1:05:53going to be scrutinized if you don't

1:05:54have it right.

1:05:57>> Judy Merrell, Mayor Scott's chief of

1:05:58staff. Madam Vice President, thank you

1:06:00for the the kind words about Mayor Scott

1:06:02and the administration's work to

1:06:04continue with our public health informed

1:06:05approach to public safety. I would just

1:06:07add to what Dr. Dazza said that we will

1:06:09have both internal and external

1:06:10performance management approaches

1:06:12internally just like we've got police

1:06:14stat and fire and EMS stat. We'll

1:06:16develop a stat that will be appropriate

1:06:18for this department and for alternative

1:06:20response. And just as Chief Wallace and

1:06:22Chief Matz and Commissioner Warley come

1:06:24before this council and regularly report

1:06:26on data, uh there will be opportunities

1:06:28for that uh from the alternative

1:06:30response division as well.

1:06:31>> Is that going to be opportunity for new

1:06:33jobs and do you are you I know you're

1:06:37going to have to involve the unions as

1:06:39well.

1:06:42>> Sure. So we have um did get the board to

1:06:45pass BOE pass two new positions, an

1:06:47executive director and alternative

1:06:49response deputy director. So, those are

1:06:51the two initial positions that have been

1:06:52created um and will be posted for

1:06:55hiring. Additionally, we'll see bringing

1:06:58on a training director, a data manager,

1:07:00the social worker staff that we've

1:07:02mentioned um as well as peer support,

1:07:04just to name a few.

1:07:05>> Okay.

1:07:07>> Thank you, Mr. President.

1:07:08>> Thank you, Madam Vice President. I'll

1:07:10just add to what Vice President

1:07:12Middlesson is saying and just say that

1:07:16my expectation as we think about

1:07:18evaluation and performance metrics is

1:07:20that community voice remains at the

1:07:23center of this work. Knowing that that

1:07:25is what has gotten us here to this

1:07:28point, knowing that uh as we heard

1:07:31tonight uh community across the city is

1:07:35excited to see this new department take

1:07:38shape. But we need to continue to keep

1:07:41community at the center of everything

1:07:44that we do and make sure the outcomes

1:07:47are reflected by how people are

1:07:49experiencing the system. Because again,

1:07:51as Vice President Middleton said and as

1:07:53we all know on this council, if people

1:07:55don't see themselves in the systems, if

1:07:58they feel like we're not building it for

1:08:01Baltimore, for our residents uniquely

1:08:04here, we will lose traction very

1:08:06quickly. And so as we are devising

1:08:10performance metrics, uh my ask is going

1:08:13to continue to be that we work

1:08:14collaboratively to keep community voices

1:08:17at the center of everything that we do.

1:08:19Thank you, Madam Vice President. Uh

1:08:21Council Member Conway.

1:08:25>> Thank you, Mr. President.

1:08:26[clears throat] Uh, and I I want to

1:08:28thank you for introducing this bill and,

1:08:30you know, your your efforts to uh be

1:08:33more pointed and more intentional in how

1:08:36we respond to folks in moments of

1:08:39crisis. Um,

1:08:42you know, I I have a a lot of thoughts

1:08:44here. Um, I didn't have quite the luxury

1:08:47of being at the table during the

1:08:49formation of this. Um, and I would

1:08:52suspect that people might expect that I

1:08:54might come with some opposition here,

1:08:55but that's not why I'm here. Um, my my

1:08:58job is to make sure that we improve as a

1:09:00city and we do the best that we possibly

1:09:02can. Um, to that effect, um, I want to

1:09:05ask very logical questions about how we

1:09:07get this right. Uh, how we are

1:09:09thoughtful about the expenses,

1:09:12um, how we are making sure that we're

1:09:14not duplicating efforts, and um, how we

1:09:17just make sure we get this done the

1:09:19right way. So um to to that effect I was

1:09:22um I really appreciated um the nuance um

1:09:25director that you you provided um with

1:09:29regard to the fiscal impact here. Uh the

1:09:32question I want to ask is what do we

1:09:34anticipate right now about the um fiscal

1:09:38impact? I I would say this is something

1:09:40we we need to do. Um do we need to do it

1:09:42this way? Uh are there ways to make sure

1:09:45that this can be sustainable into the

1:09:47future? I think we know that um

1:09:51a police response is not always

1:09:53appropriate. Um I' I've been out there.

1:09:55I've been doing ride alongs in every

1:09:56single district across the city and I've

1:09:58seen it firsthand. Uh the trouble though

1:10:00is um this all comes with a price tag

1:10:03and I want to make sure that we can

1:10:05actually afford that price tag well into

1:10:08the future without having to rob Peter

1:10:10to pay Paul. So um can you tell me what

1:10:13we you know I I you gave some numbers

1:10:15earlier. you can repeat those that would

1:10:17be helpful. Um but we might what we

1:10:19might anticipate by way of the need uh

1:10:22financially in order to continue running

1:10:24this going forward um into the future.

1:10:27>> Could I start um thank you for the

1:10:29question councilman just by establishing

1:10:31some of the existing revenue streams

1:10:33that we have in place that are going to

1:10:34help us start up uh the department and

1:10:36alternative response. And so, first,

1:10:38we're so fortunate to have great

1:10:40partners, not just on the council, but

1:10:41in the governor's office, the state

1:10:43legislature, uh, the federal delegation,

1:10:46um, have been huge supporters of this.

1:10:48And so, we have, uh, a couple of funding

1:10:50sources coming in. They're going to

1:10:51help. One, um, we have a federal earmark

1:10:55for 1.1 million uh, that's going to help

1:10:57to to get this started up. Uh we

1:10:59received support from the state budget

1:11:02for the new CAD system that's going to

1:11:04be the backbone of not just alternative

1:11:06response but also police and fire. And

1:11:09then we also have our local support

1:11:10that's come through the work of our

1:11:12solicitor and our opioid restitution

1:11:14fund dollars of which there's a $15

1:11:16million earmark that's required for 247

1:11:20outreach which is what we're using to to

1:11:23start up the department and uh and

1:11:26particularly the new division of

1:11:27alternative response. And the reason

1:11:28that I want to start with that is

1:11:30because for the next 3 to 5 years, we

1:11:34have funding sources in place because of

1:11:36those existing revenues. That's going to

1:11:39give us a chance to to build out the

1:11:40department, build out the teams, figure

1:11:42out appropriate staffing, and then make

1:11:45sure that we have sustainable funding

1:11:47moving forward through the mayor's

1:11:48introduced budgets.

1:11:51>> Um, and that that's helpful, I think, as

1:11:54we kind of kick this off. Um, I I just

1:11:57really want to be thoughtful about what

1:12:00this means going into the future. We've

1:12:02had some pretty tough fiscal years in

1:12:04the last six that I've been on the

1:12:06council. Um, some with 100 million plus

1:12:10uh deficits that we had to figure our

1:12:12way out of. And thank you for the budget

1:12:14office and the great work you guys do

1:12:16and untangling those those those knots.

1:12:19Um, but I'm I'm very sensitive to the

1:12:22operations of doing this. And um, I I

1:12:25asked that not because it doesn't mean

1:12:26that we don't do this. It it just means

1:12:28we have to be thoughtful about what that

1:12:30looks like and how we do it. Um, which

1:12:33leads me to my second question around

1:12:35how do we make sure we're not repeating

1:12:36some efforts? um particularly can you

1:12:40explain to me the difference between um

1:12:43what an expansion of um BCRI or I think

1:12:46it's called Care Now uh might look like

1:12:49in comparison to starting a a whole new

1:12:52agency. Um because I we do have some

1:12:56response for folks having mental health

1:12:58crisises. Um it it certainly needs a lot

1:13:02more resources. Um and it always has

1:13:05needed more resources. Um but you know

1:13:08when we stand up a full agency there's

1:13:10there's so much more that goes behind

1:13:11it. Um you know we're talking about

1:13:14maybe rolling 911 into this as well uh

1:13:16which is going to take on a pretty

1:13:18significant burden. So c can you tell me

1:13:22about um that? How is this different

1:13:24from

1:13:26um BCRI and specifically um you know how

1:13:30what happens to BCRI? I guess you know

1:13:33under this

1:13:34>> councilman if I could take a first stab

1:13:37uh just to provide some additional

1:13:39context before turning over to our

1:13:40partners in the administration

1:13:42um you are 100% correct we do have BCRI

1:13:47um in partnership with BHSB see Christa

1:13:51uh that has provided uh some crisis

1:13:53response teams um what we heard during

1:13:57the past two hearings in the committee

1:13:59of the whole is some concern concerns

1:14:02that we just don't have enough capacity.

1:14:05>> So it can take a very long time for a

1:14:09team to effectively deploy. Uh and we

1:14:12all know when a crisis is happening, a

1:14:15crisis means now. And we can't wait an

1:14:19hour plus, which unfortunately is the

1:14:21average time right now for the team to

1:14:25show up and deploy. And so I think one

1:14:27of the things that we were uh really

1:14:30impressed about in terms of Durham is

1:14:32that their system is all internal to the

1:14:35city. Uh when we went out with some of

1:14:38the crisis response teams, they

1:14:40responded directly to the CAD to the

1:14:42community community computer aided

1:14:45dispatch system. Uh and the way that

1:14:47calls were coded, they would send the

1:14:50correct team out and those were Durham

1:14:53employees. And so you're not dealing

1:14:56with any kind of intermediary. You're

1:14:57not dealing with an additional nonprofit

1:15:00um where the lines of accountability

1:15:03aren't always crystal clear. That's

1:15:05always been one of my concerns with our

1:15:07existing infrastructure is we we have

1:15:10some amazing, as you all know, some

1:15:12incredible partnerships with many

1:15:15nonprofits across the city of Baltimore.

1:15:18And there are some things that I believe

1:15:20we city government should do. And when

1:15:23it comes to addressing fire, police

1:15:26response, and mental health response, I

1:15:29think this is one of those core services

1:15:32that we should have ownership and

1:15:34accountability of. And so the idea of

1:15:37bringing it in house instead of having

1:15:40an amalgamation of nonprofits for me was

1:15:44really one of the really important

1:15:46elements in this bill is that I think

1:15:50residents expect us the city to provide

1:15:54that level of response. And the last

1:15:56thing I'll say to to your point about

1:15:59the financing is you're also right that

1:16:01is going to cost money to staff up. We

1:16:04should not sugarcoat, make no mistake

1:16:07about it, we will need to hire trained

1:16:10clinicians, peers, and other folks. But

1:16:14what I will say is that we are blessed

1:16:16in Baltimore to have a few excellent

1:16:19schools of social work, Morgan State,

1:16:21University of Maryland, Copen State. Um,

1:16:24we we have a pool of people that I think

1:16:26we can pull from to go into this

1:16:29workforce, locally trained folks. And we

1:16:32always talk about local hire. The vice

1:16:34president talks about apprenticeships.

1:16:37Um it is so important to me that we are

1:16:40pulling Baltimoreans directly into this

1:16:43work. And so for me what's really

1:16:45important here is number one that we the

1:16:48city are accountable and responsible and

1:16:51number two that the response is fast.

1:16:54Someone is not having to wait an hour.

1:16:56And I know in talking to Arch and

1:16:58others, uh, it just takes too darn long

1:17:01sometimes for, uh, our teams to deploy.

1:17:05So, with that, I'll pass it to the

1:17:07deputy mayor. I'm sorry, to the, uh,

1:17:09chief of staff.

1:17:10>> Thank you, Mr. President. I think you've

1:17:12addressed uh, a really significant part

1:17:14of what the councilman's asking about.

1:17:15I'll just clarify two things briefly.

1:17:17One, I want to emphasize that Monzie has

1:17:19an existing budget that is the

1:17:21foundation of which this new agency will

1:17:24be built. There will be additions to

1:17:26that budget based on the new alternative

1:17:27response division, but we're going to

1:17:29have some cost efficiencies uh by

1:17:31leveraging existing data staff, HR

1:17:34staff, fiscal staff, communications,

1:17:36etc. Uh second, I want to clarify that

1:17:38911 is going to remain within the fire

1:17:41department. Okay.

1:17:42>> Uh that is not moving over to the

1:17:44department of neighborhood safety. Uh

1:17:46but what will be going to our

1:17:47alternative responders is access to the

1:17:51CAD system and to be connected to fire

1:17:53and police and EMS on that system.

1:17:57>> Um and did at any point we ever consider

1:18:00um rolling this into the health

1:18:02department.

1:18:07>> Two things before I address that. The

1:18:08one other um point of clarity I'd like

1:18:10to make to differentiate 988 and their

1:18:13mobile response teams to what we're

1:18:14proposing um is that these alternative

1:18:17response teams would be on the CAD

1:18:19system. So would have that same rapid

1:18:21response. So it doesn't really replace

1:18:23988. 988 is still the appropriate number

1:18:26and resource for someone having a

1:18:28non-life-threatening mental health

1:18:30concern. So it could be someone with

1:18:31suicidal ideation. It could be someone

1:18:33who wants to be connected to treatment.

1:18:35um we still can divert folks to 988 even

1:18:39as we establish this response. So 988 we

1:18:41think is still that broad door for

1:18:44mental health support. It could be

1:18:45someone at home just calling 988. Um as

1:18:48as director Taylor mentioned um they are

1:18:50able to close 90% of their calls. So

1:18:52still very much a service that is

1:18:54needed. Um this will just be a service

1:18:56that's in house that does have that more

1:18:58rapid response akin to law enforcement

1:19:01and police. Um so as far as whether this

1:19:04should live in the health department or

1:19:05another agency um director why mentioned

1:19:08we looked at multiple cities across the

1:19:10country uh and and really her and her

1:19:12team put a lot of thought into those

1:19:14planning summits and having

1:19:15conversations with internal and external

1:19:17partners to think about what is the

1:19:19right model for Baltimore. And certainly

1:19:22we know that the health department does

1:19:24um extensive work. Um but we also know

1:19:27that Mony has really um led the way

1:19:30using a public health approach to

1:19:32violence and providing community safety

1:19:34and we really see this as an expansion

1:19:36building upon their existing [music]

1:19:38work and their existing success.

1:19:40Alternative response has been mentioned

1:19:41in a comprehensive violence prevention

1:19:43plan um for several years now. So this

1:19:45is something that Monzi has also been

1:19:47examining has been a part of the

1:19:49planning process. Um so it really made

1:19:51sense as we thought about codifying the

1:19:53important work that Monty's done and

1:19:54then adding this other core service of

1:19:56alternative response.

1:19:58>> Yeah, it's interesting because um uh

1:20:01safe streets started in the health

1:20:03department um and I want to say GBRS

1:20:08the earlier versions of it uh were very

1:20:10closely associated with the health

1:20:12department as well. Um, so as we were

1:20:16talking about the the work that this

1:20:18agency would do, um, and actually I

1:20:21can't take credit for this, uh, my

1:20:22colleague, Councilwoman Porter, who

1:20:24unfortunately had to leave, um, sort of

1:20:26beg the question, is this more of a

1:20:28public health approach to, uh, a public

1:20:30safety response and therefore probably

1:20:32better suited for the health department

1:20:35as a division under the health

1:20:37department. But I I I'll leave that for

1:20:40further discussion. Uh, Mr. President.

1:20:42Yeah.

1:20:42>> Thank you, Councilman Conway. Councilman

1:20:44Jones.

1:20:46>> Thank you, Council President. Uh, first

1:20:48I just want to commend you, Council

1:20:50President, your team along with the, uh,

1:20:53mayor and his team on working together

1:20:56collaboratively uh, to ensure uh, our

1:21:00residents, Baltimore City residents,

1:21:02receive the type of services they they

1:21:04deserve. Uh, I know oftent times in

1:21:07government, one of the hardest things to

1:21:08do is do things differently. Um, but I

1:21:11commend you all putting uh the effort in

1:21:14to kind of do something differently and

1:21:16take steps in the right direction. And

1:21:18on top of that, more importantly, I want

1:21:20to commend our community partners who

1:21:22testify today u and our subject matter

1:21:25experts. Um, and because look, there's

1:21:28not many of us who are uh subject matter

1:21:30experts in this field. So, we often rely

1:21:32on your experience and your expertise to

1:21:36help us push in the right direction. So,

1:21:39thank you for being part of this. Um, as

1:21:41well,

1:21:42>> we're popping champagne for Department

1:21:44of Neighborhood Safety.

1:21:45>> Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Now, now

1:21:49kind of on to my question. We kind of

1:21:50touched on it a little bit uh during the

1:21:53conversation, but just need additional

1:21:54clarification. Um, because in this

1:21:58chamber, we've had hearings regarding

1:22:00our diversion program and how it's kind

1:22:02of underutilized. We'll see it

1:22:04challenges. Um, but I'm hearing more and

1:22:06more this is less of diversion but more

1:22:09of like in-house dispatch and kind of

1:22:12getting things out. So, if you can kind

1:22:14of explain to the general public a

1:22:17little more the difference between a

1:22:18diversion program where someone's going

1:22:20through a mental health crisis and this

1:22:23cat inhouse 911 diversion program and

1:22:26how some of the challenges we've

1:22:28experienced before won't also be exist

1:22:30in this new one.

1:22:32>> So, I would still consider this

1:22:33diversion. Okay. So I think of diversion

1:22:36very very broadly right when we say

1:22:38diversion we are just saying

1:22:40>> when someone calls 911 instead of them

1:22:42getting a fire EMS police response they

1:22:46are diverted someplace else. So that

1:22:48could be 988 that could be the embedded

1:22:50clinician that could be the BPD

1:22:52co-response teams. So think of it as

1:22:55being diverted away from a law

1:22:57enforcement fire EMS response. So so

1:22:59still the same. Um but I think one thing

1:23:02I do want to touch on is is you've kind

1:23:03of mentioned um the work around our

1:23:06current diversion and that work to

1:23:08improve it doesn't stop. So director why

1:23:11mentioned um within her agency lives our

1:23:15QA our quality assurance and quality

1:23:17improvement around paragraph 97 and how

1:23:20we continue to improve our existing

1:23:22diversion ecosystem. So that work will

1:23:25continue. Um so I just want to be clear

1:23:27that that's not changing. Um we still

1:23:29think again as I mentioned that 988 is

1:23:31an important resource and so we'll still

1:23:33continue to look at our current

1:23:34diversion and call rates and how we can

1:23:36continue to improve there. Gotcha. Uh so

1:23:39with that clarification what I will say

1:23:41a lot of this program uh it's going to

1:23:45depend on our ability to do the proper

1:23:47diversion and get people there in a

1:23:50timely manner. So in the future look

1:23:53forward to continuing conversations

1:23:55about the improvements our diversion

1:23:58program is making have made to ensure

1:24:00that this investment [music]

1:24:02that we're making is hitting the street

1:24:05in a proper manner. Um yeah so that was

1:24:07just kind of a statement but to my next

1:24:09question sorry we want to follow up

1:24:10second question is regarding the roll

1:24:12out. Uh we've heard from testimony from

1:24:15folks today that you know in the midst

1:24:17of you know family members and friends

1:24:19going through a mental health crisis

1:24:20they aren't as quick to pick up the

1:24:22phone and make that phone call. So we

1:24:25need to also make sure the public knows

1:24:27about this and that they know there's

1:24:29resources available so that they can

1:24:32actually pick up the phone and utilize

1:24:33it. So with that said the roll out the

1:24:35education piece to the general public is

1:24:38going to be really important. So, I'm

1:24:40just curious to hear a little bit about

1:24:41how are we going to make sure that the

1:24:43general public knows um this

1:24:46opportunity, this new agency exists when

1:24:48the time comes so that people actually

1:24:50feel comfortable utilizing it.

1:24:54>> I would say we agree. Um we know that

1:24:55that's going to be extremely important

1:24:57that initial community outreach so they

1:24:59know that the resource is there and

1:25:01importantly so they know what it

1:25:02actually is. Um, and so to that point, I

1:25:05think that this council will actually be

1:25:07great partners in that work of talking

1:25:10with community associations, of talking

1:25:12with residents. And so there will be a

1:25:14tour of sorts. Um, we are in the process

1:25:16of hiring an executive director, deputy

1:25:18director for alternative response. Um,

1:25:20and we see that as a big part of that,

1:25:22their early days, right? And so just

1:25:24like, um, back in the day, they used to

1:25:27have the police commissioner kind of go

1:25:28out into those sessions. Um, we see that

1:25:31executive director doing that as well.

1:25:34>> I would like to add to what W mayor

1:25:36Dazza said to also help to manage

1:25:39expectations for the council and the

1:25:40public about what that roll out will

1:25:41look like. There's not going to be a a

1:25:44switch that is flicked where we have

1:25:47citywide alternative response overnight.

1:25:50uh we are going to take the same

1:25:52intentional

1:25:53datainformed approach to how we expand

1:25:56implemented and expanded GVRS to the

1:25:59deployment of alternative response

1:26:00personnel. We do not want to send

1:26:02alternative responders out into

1:26:04communities if the entire infrastructure

1:26:06from top to bottom is not in place to

1:26:08ensure that we're able to provide the

1:26:09services and the response time standards

1:26:13that we seek to meet for this new

1:26:14division. And so we will likely be

1:26:17starting small and making sure we're

1:26:20doing it well before we get to the point

1:26:22of citywide similar to how we've done

1:26:24with GBRS.

1:26:27>> Councilman, I do want to just build on

1:26:29that as well. It's a really profound

1:26:31point and one that I think the testimony

1:26:34were we heard earlier speaks to which is

1:26:37if folks do not know about this, they

1:26:40will not use this. Uh, one of the

1:26:43challenges that I think we've had, uh,

1:26:46I'm a big fan of 988 and BHSB, but I

1:26:50think if you were to pull Baltimoreians,

1:26:53not that many people know about 988. And

1:26:55so it is going to be incredibly

1:26:57important uh to the chief's point that

1:27:01we have the right expectations for when

1:27:04this service is going to be deployed,

1:27:07but also that we the council are our own

1:27:11best messengers. I will say I think from

1:27:14having spoken to this about this last

1:27:15night in Councilman Bullock's district

1:27:17and in a few districts already, there is

1:27:19a lot of energy. uh folks in Baltimore

1:27:23understand the need for a much more

1:27:26robust crisis response system. I think

1:27:29it's going to be incumbent on all of us

1:27:31and the mayor's team to really be out

1:27:35there um and to speak to the value and

1:27:39import of this work. And again, it's why

1:27:41we wanted it to be routed through the

1:27:44CAD system, through 911, is I didn't

1:27:48want us to segregate mental health and

1:27:51crisis response calls to a separate

1:27:53number. Folks can still, I want be

1:27:56clear, call 988. It's a great service,

1:27:59but the majority of Baltimoreans, the

1:28:01majority of people in this country, just

1:28:03know that if you want someone to come

1:28:05out fast, you're dialing 911. And so

1:28:09that is going to continue to be the

1:28:11case. And again, to the chief's point,

1:28:13we do want to be deliberative. That's

1:28:15why I did not want to have a voting

1:28:16session tonight. Um, in listening to

1:28:19some of the feedback from colleagues and

1:28:21community, we really want to do this

1:28:24work deliberatively. Um, so appreciate

1:28:27you flagging the importance of community

1:28:30receiving it and utilizing it.

1:28:35Councilman Parker.

1:28:41Thank you, Council President. Thank you

1:28:43to our agencies and everybody who's

1:28:45testified so far. I appreciate this. I

1:28:47um in particular, I was curious about

1:28:50some of the financial details, some of

1:28:51the things we've already ground we

1:28:52already covered. So, I'm going to just

1:28:53try to fairly short questions, but just

1:28:55to to um and about the roll out, too.

1:28:59So, thank you, Germaine. Um do we have

1:29:02some sense I mean, I know we talked

1:29:03numbers and things like that. We'd have

1:29:05to grow out. Do we do we have any sense

1:29:06and I heard from department of finance

1:29:08Bob I heard there's there's a lot a lot

1:29:10to be sorted out. Um do we have some

1:29:13sense though of of of how much staffing

1:29:15a fully staffed uh office will be

1:29:19any any any vague sense at this point?

1:29:23>> So I think it will depend right and and

1:29:25the reason why I say that is because one

1:29:27of the things that LEAP did that law

1:29:29enforcement action partnership was it

1:29:31looked at particular call types. So some

1:29:33of it will come down to the particular

1:29:35call types and how many call types per

1:29:38district. And so as as the chief

1:29:40mentioned in thinking about this in a

1:29:41deliberative way, it'd be potentially

1:29:44not going to say we'll definitely do

1:29:45this, but potentially looking at it by

1:29:47district. And so say if we start in a

1:29:49particular district, there may be more

1:29:51calls in that district. And so that

1:29:53would dictate a potential staffing model

1:29:55specific to that district. And it might

1:29:57be different from district to district.

1:29:59So I think it's harder to kind of nail

1:30:00down the social worker peer groups how

1:30:02many there will be. Um but we do have a

1:30:05sense again of executive director,

1:30:06alternative response director, training

1:30:08director, data manager relying on some

1:30:11of the existing administrative

1:30:13infrastructure that's already in my

1:30:17along those I really appreciate that.

1:30:18Thank you so much Dr. Dza. Along those

1:30:20lines, um I one of the things that that

1:30:24influences staffing levels and and call

1:30:26response time is is how much time we

1:30:28expect people to spend on site on a

1:30:30call, which I imagine might look

1:30:31dramatically different for these calls

1:30:33than than our standard police and fire

1:30:35response. I do we have some sense

1:30:37looking at other cities what that's

1:30:39looked like and how that plays has

1:30:41played into staffing for them?

1:30:45>> Um you're spot on, right? And so these

1:30:47are calls that can be um a bit more

1:30:49labor and time inensive. Um so I I think

1:30:52it will also still come down to what do

1:30:54we identify as those eligible calls. Um

1:30:56and and this will be an iterative model,

1:30:58right? And so the things that we don't

1:31:00know, we'll be learning along the way.

1:31:02Um I think what's been great is being

1:31:04able to talk to other folks across the

1:31:06country to understand what they've

1:31:08experienced. Um and so having direct

1:31:10conversations with um the individual who

1:31:12started Albuquerquekey's program um and

1:31:15hearing from her as we're you know

1:31:17developing this model. So I think that

1:31:19that those types of groups will be

1:31:21really helpful as we kind of pin down

1:31:23how long we think it will take and

1:31:24exactly how many teams based on the

1:31:26number of calls

1:31:27>> and and the thank you so much. And the

1:31:29final nuance I think there is um

1:31:33is there any expectation that um that

1:31:37the folks who are working for this

1:31:38office as opposed to other people they

1:31:40may refer um uh residents to. Is there

1:31:43any expectation that folks from this

1:31:45office in one form or another will be

1:31:47following up with or providing ongoing

1:31:49support because again that also

1:31:50dramatically reshapes our expectations.

1:31:54>> Yeah. So there will be two teams. So

1:31:56there's that initial community response

1:31:58team or alternative response team. Um

1:32:00the resource hub which is the physical

1:32:02location for people to go to and then

1:32:04the care continuity teams will be

1:32:06separate. So those won't be teams that

1:32:08will be deployed. Those will be teams

1:32:09dedicated specifically to care

1:32:12coordination and case management. Um so

1:32:14there there will be that additional

1:32:16component that will be employed within

1:32:17this agency for that ongoing support.

1:32:21>> Very good. My last question is a very

1:32:23practical one. Um the percent of calls

1:32:2622,000 calls were mentioned. Just remind

1:32:28us and I think I asked this question

1:32:29when you all presented it to us um uh

1:32:32when we had the direct conversation but

1:32:34just in this setting how 22,000 is how

1:32:37many out of the total just so we have

1:32:38some sense of of what percentage we're

1:32:41were re reallocating.

1:32:43>> It was about a quarter.

1:32:44>> Yeah. Great. Thank you Dr. Kaza. Thank

1:32:46you Mr. President.

1:32:47>> Thank you Councilman Councilman Glover.

1:32:49>> Thank you Mr. President. Uh thank you to

1:32:51all the agencies for being tonight. I do

1:32:53want to uh commend Monty for the great

1:32:56work you guys have been doing, you know,

1:32:57thus far. Um I do think this program is

1:33:00is very much needed. So I do want to

1:33:03also thank the Mayor Scott and the

1:33:05administration for um like council um

1:33:08president, excuse me, vice president

1:33:10said early on, it's been a it's been a

1:33:11long time coming and we're now uh

1:33:13getting to it. But I I want to add and

1:33:16ask that um I know we said 20,000 will

1:33:19be like redirected um from the police

1:33:21and the fire department, right? So my my

1:33:24question is

1:33:26um

1:33:28how can we assure that within those

1:33:3020,000 calls like the services are

1:33:32really being met and who are the

1:33:34partners that we're partnering with to

1:33:37make sure that the community are getting

1:33:40you know their issues addressed. um how

1:33:44are we picking these partners? Is it a

1:33:46community effort? And the reason why I

1:33:47ask because you know we that represent

1:33:49our respective districts, right? We know

1:33:51the mental health programs that are

1:33:52operating within our community, right?

1:33:55And we know the ones that are good and

1:33:56we know the ones that are some of the

1:33:58bad actors that are just not doing some

1:34:00of the quality work that we that we know

1:34:02that our constituents deserve. So, how

1:34:05do we join with you guys from the

1:34:08mayor's, you know, administration to

1:34:10make sure that we're making sure that

1:34:11we're putting the right social workers

1:34:13in place, right? Um, we're putting the

1:34:16right programs, period, in place to help

1:34:18these individuals with needs because I

1:34:20have a constituent that is here even

1:34:22tonight that uh that has some issues,

1:34:25right? And and the issue may have been

1:34:28that instead of the police, maybe a

1:34:30social worker may have needed to come

1:34:31out and things of that nature. and you

1:34:33know that individual wasn't available

1:34:36for the constituent. So the constituent

1:34:38will reach out to our office. We give

1:34:40whatever you know information that we

1:34:42need. We're not the experts in the

1:34:43office but we're given whatever

1:34:44resources we do have. But still that

1:34:46constituent feel like you know what I

1:34:48reached out to the Baltimore City Police

1:34:49Department you know police department on

1:34:52social uh social workers. they're doing

1:34:54the best they can do, but that uh

1:34:58constituent now feel like they're not

1:35:00being protected because they reached

1:35:01out, gave whatever information they

1:35:03needed to give, but now they feel like,

1:35:05you know, as a victim or as a witness,

1:35:07we don't feel like we're being protected

1:35:09on the other end. We don't have the

1:35:10resource on the other end to help us as

1:35:11we move forward.

1:35:13>> Yeah, thank you for that question. I

1:35:14think you raised an excellent point

1:35:16about making sure that it's the right

1:35:18resource. Um, so one thing that I do

1:35:21think that we can leverage here because

1:35:22we have so many city agencies that do

1:35:24have partners they work with, we have

1:35:26our opioid restitution funded grantees

1:35:29that provide services. Um, is that we

1:35:31have partners that B maybe BC Moore is

1:35:34working with partners and they can

1:35:35provide a partner list. The health

1:35:37department has particular partners that

1:35:38they've worked with. Mony has community

1:35:40partners that they've worked with. And

1:35:42so really uh in addition to some of the

1:35:45partner outreach that we've done, having

1:35:47that landscape of of those key partners

1:35:49that have been um efficient in

1:35:51supporting residents um and that being a

1:35:54resource for this this agency,

1:35:56>> but are those partners that that we have

1:35:58thus far, are these the partners that

1:36:01were a part of the lawsuit like the

1:36:03opioid lawsuit that that we had gotten?

1:36:06Are these the partners that we're

1:36:07dealing with? Because um I'll also say

1:36:10again, you know, when we went and we had

1:36:13gotten the lawsuit, we used those

1:36:15entities in that lawsuit. So, we had to

1:36:17give those funds to those entities that

1:36:20was a part of the lawsuit. But I'm also

1:36:22talking about those private

1:36:24organizations that are doing work

1:36:26outside of the lawsuit that are

1:36:28providing the care because we know best

1:36:29like we we we know that some of these

1:36:32programs are out here. We know that we

1:36:33got to have social workers in place that

1:36:35are going to meet those constituents

1:36:38right where they at, right? So, we got

1:36:39to make sure we have those individuals

1:36:41in place. And some of those individuals

1:36:43and some of those programs may not be uh

1:36:46suitable for the constituents that we

1:36:47represent based on those that are in the

1:36:49lawsuit. Not saying they can't provide

1:36:51any services, but again the the uh the

1:36:55community that we're dealing with,

1:36:57right, the community where though again

1:36:58you got to meet a lot of these

1:36:59individuals where they at and they got

1:37:01to make sure at the end of the day it's

1:37:03based on can I trust you?

1:37:05>> Yes. No, I I think it's both, right? So

1:37:07it's not just folks or organizations

1:37:10that were named in the lawsuit. um is

1:37:12again other partners again maybe the

1:37:13health departments work with or Monty

1:37:15has worked with that weren't a part of

1:37:16that opioid restitution fund as a named

1:37:19organization.

1:37:21>> Okay. Thank you Mr. President. You want

1:37:23to add on.

1:37:24>> Thank youman. And you know I just want

1:37:27to lift up I think your point about

1:37:29making sure folks are really vetted uh

1:37:33by community is going to be really

1:37:35important in this work. I remember

1:37:38spending time in a community association

1:37:40in your district where uh there was a

1:37:43lot of concern about some of the drug

1:37:45treatment programs that uh are not

1:37:48providing great services may in fact be

1:37:51predatory

1:37:52>> in some ways. And so I think as we

1:37:55consider who will be part of this work

1:37:58and as we think about Copen and Marilyn

1:38:00and Morgan and all the great

1:38:02institutions that will feed into uh into

1:38:07this department. I think it's a really

1:38:10important point that community has to be

1:38:12part of the vetting process. Community

1:38:14has to be that check that makes sure

1:38:16that the folks who come in are credible.

1:38:19Otherwise again we will miss. And I

1:38:21think like part of the dynamic is um

1:38:26e even within some of our great higher

1:38:28ed institutions

1:38:30uh if folks are not culturally

1:38:32competent, if folks are not um seen and

1:38:35respected and loved within our

1:38:38communities, uh there can be a mismatch.

1:38:40And so I think continuing to keep that

1:38:42voice elevated, I think is just

1:38:44extremely important as we build out this

1:38:46department.

1:38:47>> And and and again, Mr. president to to

1:38:49piggy back off of what you were saying

1:38:51again. You have so many entities out

1:38:53there and so many programs out there

1:38:54where the community just feel like we've

1:38:56been lied to, right? So, a lot of folks

1:38:58just don't know who who can we trust.

1:39:00And that's why it's important that the

1:39:02vetting process is very very important

1:39:03as we move forward to make sure that we

1:39:05have, you know, the best uh individuals,

1:39:08the best organizations that's going to

1:39:10make sure that they're giving the best

1:39:12care to the constituents of Baltimore.

1:39:14Thank you.

1:39:16That piece about trust is critically

1:39:17important. Uh, Councilman Blanchard.

1:39:21Thank you, Mr. President.

1:39:23So, director, when I think about the

1:39:28relationship between the, you know, soon

1:39:31to be Department of Neighborhood

1:39:32Services and the Police Department

1:39:36when it comes to their relationships to

1:39:38public safety and crime, right? The

1:39:40police

1:39:42react, they respond to crimes that have

1:39:44been committed, right? It's a police

1:39:46departments are inherently

1:39:48responsive, right? And I I think the way

1:39:51that I think about what now Monty soon

1:39:54to be DNS does is more addressing root

1:39:56cause type situations, right? Addressing

1:39:59the root cause, the environment that

1:40:01leads to the criminal behavior in a

1:40:04that's sort of more deeper way, right?

1:40:06Because it's inherently proactive. Um,

1:40:11and when I think about neighborhoods,

1:40:14you know,

1:40:15the the main streets, the business

1:40:18districts, the arts districts, the

1:40:19commercial corridors, your Pennsylvania

1:40:21avenues and North Avenues and Highland

1:40:25Towns and Bells Points and, you know,

1:40:27everywhere across the city. Um,

1:40:34a lot of the

1:40:38a lot a lot of that I think is it's

1:40:40inherently place-based, right? Like

1:40:42what's happening and something that um,

1:40:45as we've talked about a couple times in

1:40:47hearings with the Lex Market

1:40:49Collaborative in my district is

1:40:51something that whether it's dealing with

1:40:53open air drug markets or late night

1:40:55challenges or whatever, right? Um,

1:41:00I guess that's something that I know,

1:41:02you know, Monty's been involved in and

1:41:03I've continued to advocate for

1:41:08the soontobe department to kind of grow

1:41:10into that role more. Um,

1:41:16can you talk me through how

1:41:20as this transitions happens into a

1:41:22full-scale department,

1:41:24there may be new opportunity or or new

1:41:27ways for um the department to address

1:41:30these

1:41:32place-based

1:41:34safety and and crime challenges,

1:41:36particularly in the places where, you

1:41:38know, the the front the front porches of

1:41:40our neighborhoods.

1:41:43Thank you, Councilman. Um, you know, I

1:41:46would agree and also add one additional

1:41:48thing. So, you know, yes, our agency

1:41:51addresses the root causes. We're focused

1:41:53on violence prevention. Um, but we also

1:41:56do real-time intervention and we do real

1:41:58time response. Now, alternate response

1:42:01as we're discussing about it coming from

1:42:03dispatch talking about certain call

1:42:04types that adds a whole new suite of

1:42:07services essentially a different kind of

1:42:09uh real-time response than the acute

1:42:12response we may do after a traumatic

1:42:15incident. Um or when we're on the

1:42:18ground, you know, de actively

1:42:19deescalating or working with community

1:42:21based organizations that are doing um

1:42:23immediate response and intervention with

1:42:26individual people. So I think I see this

1:42:29for our city as a really exciting moment

1:42:31to um grow what is already some baseline

1:42:35of response infrastructure. But when you

1:42:37think about the work that we're already

1:42:38doing as a inter agency coordinator um

1:42:42this is also about continuing forward

1:42:44the work that Monty has started um and

1:42:47continuing to deepen and grow that. And

1:42:49so as you know we're working on the next

1:42:50comprehensive violence prevention plan.

1:42:52still very much going to be part of our

1:42:54charge to ensure that that's implemented

1:42:57and part of that plan is also deepening

1:43:00the exact work that you just talked

1:43:01about. Um making sure that we can have

1:43:04even more robust placebased

1:43:05interventions and um continue to build

1:43:08the infrastructure at a city government

1:43:09level that sustains this beyond any one

1:43:12mayoral term. So I think you know you're

1:43:14spot on and appreciate the um the focus

1:43:18on that. Yeah, and I should say all the

1:43:21talk about the al alternative response,

1:43:23I wasn't thinking of that in like

1:43:26this sort of like crime and public

1:43:27safety, I think that's a totally

1:43:28different conversation. Fully understand

1:43:30that it's kind of the that's the main

1:43:31part of the conversation we've been

1:43:33having tonight and I appreciate you

1:43:34pointing that out. Um but going through

1:43:35it, can you give me like a

1:43:38like what's an example of like something

1:43:40that of the the placebased

1:43:45um hey we know we have a consistent

1:43:47challenge in this area right um and I

1:43:52know my been great with the summer youth

1:43:55engagement strategy which was very heavy

1:43:57and the inner harbor right collaborative

1:44:00um

1:44:04is this something

1:44:06that we can see more of

1:44:10across the city as this becomes a

1:44:12department

1:44:16potentially. Um potentially I think that

1:44:19discussion around how the office grows

1:44:21and evolves is is part of it. I mean,

1:44:23we're actively doing the work right now

1:44:25to grow, for example, a in-house group

1:44:28violence reduction strategy team to

1:44:29bring some of the outreach and life

1:44:31coaching services inhouse. That will

1:44:33result in more staff that expands our

1:44:36capacity as a agency to respond on the

1:44:38ground. Um, and so, you know, probably

1:44:40every single day I have members of my

1:44:42small but mighty um community engagement

1:44:45staff who are out responding to one-off

1:44:48constituent concerns that we receive. um

1:44:51also working on some larger strategic

1:44:53challenges where we're pulling in the

1:44:54city administrator's office and working

1:44:56with the infrastructure through the

1:44:57multi- agency inspection task force and

1:44:59beyond. So I think there's definitely an

1:45:02opportunity for that. Um but as the

1:45:06foundation of the alternate response

1:45:07work grows, there may even be additional

1:45:09opportunities that we don't anticipate

1:45:11yet. Um, but I think this is part of

1:45:13what is meaningful about bringing these

1:45:16lanes together into one agency and

1:45:18really seeing it as a third branch of

1:45:20public safety. Um, because it keeps us

1:45:22focused on that mission. And of course,

1:45:24all of this is geared towards how do we

1:45:26be as responsive as we need to be to our

1:45:28residents. Um, and I would hope that

1:45:29that extends to the work that, you know,

1:45:31we've already built the foundation for

1:45:33as well.

1:45:34>> Yeah. Thanks, director. Thanks, Mr.

1:45:35President.

1:45:36>> Thank you, Councilman. I'll just note uh

1:45:38one of the things that your question

1:45:39lifts up for me is the importance of

1:45:42proximity and relationships in this

1:45:45work. And part of what I was able to

1:45:48witness in Durham was you have the same

1:45:51teams that know each other, know

1:45:54community, and deploy consistently

1:45:57uh geographically or otherwise. You get

1:46:00to know people. And I remember when we

1:46:03went out, uh, there was an individual

1:46:05experiencing homelessness who was

1:46:07trespassing at a crispy cream and the

1:46:10folks on the heart team that I went out

1:46:12with knew him and so they were able to

1:46:14speak to him directly and say, "Hey, do

1:46:17you need any assistance? Do you need

1:46:18help?" And ultimately get him to uh just

1:46:21not be there at that crispy cream. Um, I

1:46:25think so much of when you're talking

1:46:27about place-based, it's about

1:46:28relationships and knowing the neighbors,

1:46:31knowing the community, and having

1:46:33proximity to people. So, appreciate you

1:46:35lifting that up. Um, all right. Second

1:46:37round of questions. I will ask uh

1:46:39council members to one question and to

1:46:42keep it somewhat piffy. Um, I see no for

1:46:45vice president. I'm gonna go straight to

1:46:47Councilman Conway.

1:46:48>> I've got a very piffy one. Um I is it

1:46:50possible to u maybe project out for

1:46:54um for the next decade what this might

1:46:57cost the city?

1:47:00>> We can get back to you on that.

1:47:01>> Yeah. Uh a projection of the costs and

1:47:04maybe staff so that we have a sense of

1:47:05what that might look like. Thank you. Uh

1:47:07and can we get that u when when we're

1:47:10going to do the next hearing?

1:47:13do not have a next h next committee

1:47:15hearing date, but uh deputy mayor, when

1:47:20do you think we could be responsive to

1:47:21the councilman's question knowing that

1:47:24there is going to be

1:47:27I don't know that you all are going to

1:47:29be able to provide a direct uh cost

1:47:32estimate, but would like to see,

1:47:35>> you know, some effort to try to cost out

1:47:40um what this is going to be. What would

1:47:42be a fair timing?

1:47:43>> We do 60 days.

1:47:44>> 60 days.

1:47:46>> Okay. Uh I do intend to hold an X

1:47:48hearing and likely vote uh before then.

1:47:51So uh I I I'll say can we say 45 days?

1:47:58>> Okay. Thank you.

1:48:00>> I just I need

1:48:00>> Deputy Mayor.

1:48:03>> My mic was tweaking. Um, I would just

1:48:06like to emphasize that

1:48:09first and foremost, we're going to be

1:48:10hiring the executive director and

1:48:11division director for for alternative

1:48:13response. And while we can do our best

1:48:15to provide some level of projections,

1:48:17their voice and their leadership is

1:48:18going to be critical in determining and

1:48:20finalizing staffing models. And anything

1:48:22that we share at this point should be

1:48:24considered preliminary and subject to

1:48:26change and subject to future

1:48:28appropriations.

1:48:29>> I fully appreciate that. I think I I

1:48:31just want to wrap my head around like

1:48:32what kind of numbers we're talking uh

1:48:35because if we were conceptually going to

1:48:37start an agency here and have to cover

1:48:39that in the general fund every single

1:48:41year after ARPA runs not ARPA um the the

1:48:46opioid restitution fund runs out. I want

1:48:49to make sure that we we know what we're

1:48:50getting into. That's all. Thank you.

1:48:54>> Thanks Councilman Councilman Jones.

1:48:57>> Uh thank you Mr. President. uh during

1:48:59the introduction, I guess when we was

1:49:01talking about the program, we said we

1:49:03may foresee cost savings from other

1:49:06agencies because they're kind of moving

1:49:08things around. Uh just kind of wanted to

1:49:11get um say a commitment or a thought

1:49:14from you all that based upon cost

1:49:17savings from other agencies, we don't

1:49:19anticipate us having to lay off anyone

1:49:22from any of our public safety agencies.

1:49:24Because one thing I don't want to happen

1:49:26is see folks from other our public

1:49:29safety agencies having to do cuts and

1:49:31layoffs because of transfer from higher.

1:49:34Do do we foresee any of that and can we

1:49:36kind of commit that that won't be as a

1:49:38result of this agency being lifted up?

1:49:40>> Yes, I can I can commit that we do not

1:49:42foresee any reductions in force as a

1:49:44result of the new agency. I will uplift

1:49:46an anecdote from the Durham trip to give

1:49:48an example though of how this could

1:49:49reduce overtime costs amongst our public

1:49:51safety agencies. Um, the alternative

1:49:54response team that I did the ride along

1:49:55with responded to a dispute at a towyard

1:49:58between two parties. Uh, that the

1:50:01alternative responders were able to

1:50:02mediate and mostly resolve. There did

1:50:05need to be a police response that they

1:50:07called in at the very end to just verify

1:50:09that a car was not stolen. That police

1:50:11officer was on scene for less than 5

1:50:13minutes as they ran them through the

1:50:14database and made sure that everything

1:50:16was good. But the alternative responders

1:50:18handled that scene pretty much on their

1:50:19own. And so without alternative

1:50:21response, that could have been a 60 to

1:50:2390 minute, you know, call for that

1:50:24police officer that could have

1:50:25contributed to overtime if it was at the

1:50:27end of that person's shift. And so we

1:50:29think we'll be much more efficient in

1:50:30our use of public safety resources and

1:50:32staffing uh without reducing force.

1:50:36>> Thank you for that answer. Just wanted

1:50:37to make sure uh those on the front line

1:50:40aren't, you know, being cut or being

1:50:43being negatively impacted by this.

1:50:45Appreciate it.

1:50:46>> Thank you, Mr. Labor Chair, for always

1:50:48standing up for workers. Uh, Madame Vice

1:50:50President,

1:50:51>> just want to add to that that our

1:50:54[clears throat] when we approved our new

1:50:57HR director, she pretty much made a

1:51:00commitment that um, one of her charges

1:51:02was to utilize employees that we already

1:51:07have for changes and promotions and uh,

1:51:11she has been standing up to that promise

1:51:14thus far. So, just wanted to add that

1:51:17piece.

1:51:18>> Thank you, Madam BP.

1:51:20Uh, Councilman Parker, Councilman

1:51:21Glover.

1:51:23>> No, I just want to say don't forget we

1:51:24got peace in the back. It's a

1:51:26[clears throat] lot. You know, it's like

1:51:28dinner time and there's a lot back

1:51:30there. So, just want to make sure that

1:51:33it's gone before we leave.

1:51:35>> Thank Councilman uh Councilman

1:51:37Blanchard.

1:51:39Hey, one one one other question that I

1:51:42was and it's not

1:51:44new to going from my to DNS, but um so

1:51:50how does how did Monty workers or if

1:51:53you're or in the future when they're

1:51:55responding um whether it's a safe

1:51:57streets type situation or whether it's

1:51:59alternative um response whatnot um you

1:52:03know people who may be um considering

1:52:06violence whatnot are probably more

1:52:09likely to engage with

1:52:11folks that aren't the police and

1:52:13communicate that. And then how does that

1:52:16how do they

1:52:18trust that that engagement doesn't get

1:52:24uh I guess backfire into some sort of

1:52:27like um police involvement or something

1:52:31being reported to police? Like how does

1:52:32that get balanced out there?

1:52:36Is this a question more about the the

1:52:38alternate responders, how their work

1:52:41would be keeping safe the information or

1:52:44whatever? Okay.

1:52:51>> Yeah. So

1:52:53sorry,

1:52:58the alternate responders are responding

1:52:59and a big part of the advantage of in a

1:53:03lot of our communities is it not being

1:53:05police officer, people are going to feel

1:53:06differently and maybe more confident

1:53:08engaging in it. How

1:53:10will um members of certain communities

1:53:14in the cities trust that that

1:53:16interaction, the sort of communication

1:53:18won't end up leading to legal action

1:53:20against them when they're reaching out

1:53:22for help?

1:53:23>> Yeah, I think that's a a good question

1:53:24and I I do want to say it it may depend

1:53:27on the nature of the call. So, I still

1:53:30think that if there's a perception that

1:53:32someone is a threat or doing something

1:53:34that's illegal, it could still

1:53:36potentially involve a police response.

1:53:38What will be really important is the

1:53:40protocols and the training that we

1:53:42provide those responders so that they'll

1:53:44know when it's appropriate to use that

1:53:46CAT system that they're on and reach out

1:53:48to BPD for backup or fire EMS for backup

1:53:52depending on the nature of the call.

1:53:55So it

1:53:57the responders should basically your

1:54:00thought is the responders should be able

1:54:01to be trained to make the call of hey

1:54:05this is when I need BPD. This is when

1:54:08>> Yes. So you know again protocols just

1:54:11like police and fire I think have

1:54:13protocols and um things where they they

1:54:15may need to escalate and ask for

1:54:16additional support. The same would be

1:54:18true for these responders. they would

1:54:20need to be able to ask for additional

1:54:22support

1:54:23>> depending on how the situation goes.

1:54:26>> Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you,

1:54:28Councilman Glover.

1:54:30>> Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, have we

1:54:32have we thought about because I know

1:54:33we're not going to vote anything

1:54:34tonight, but have we thought about like

1:54:37starting kind of sort of like a a semi

1:54:39like pilot program or just, you know,

1:54:41getting constituents to call in to um

1:54:46someone within like probably Monty where

1:54:48you could direct them to someone just so

1:54:49we can get a general synthesis of of of

1:54:52where the numbers are going to be coming

1:54:53from and kind of what what community

1:54:56probably uh will have, you know, more

1:54:59[clears throat]

1:55:00complaints.

1:55:01versus others. I mean, things of that

1:55:02nature just so we can kind of get a

1:55:04glimpse of how it may look cuz right

1:55:07now, you know, this is kind of like

1:55:08we're starting out kind of like as a

1:55:10pilot, like we don't really know what's

1:55:11going [laughter] to happen. And um you

1:55:13know like the record finance was

1:55:14basically saying we don't really know

1:55:16you know basically the amount of money

1:55:18that it may take what staff it may take

1:55:20but if we can kind of like narrow it

1:55:22down and say exactly beforehand before

1:55:25we come back

1:55:26>> to meet like how can we do it even on

1:55:28the educational piece like what what

1:55:30Councilman Jones was saying early on to

1:55:31get it out just to the public just a

1:55:32little bit because I think we're all

1:55:34>> on board with the council but again just

1:55:37to make those

1:55:39kind of connections a little early on

1:55:40just to see where we could be at in

1:55:42future as we move forward.

1:55:43>> Yeah, I can appreciate that question.

1:55:45And so going back to that 22,000 calls,

1:55:48um we do have further breakdown on

1:55:51district call type. Um so we do have a

1:55:55little bit of a sense at least looking

1:55:56at 2025 data of what some of the trends

1:55:59are. Some of this again will still come

1:56:02down to what are the initial call types

1:56:04that we choose. And just like with 911

1:56:06diversion, we didn't do all call types

1:56:09at once. um we we had maybe one or two

1:56:13call types that teams would respond to

1:56:15to give us some of the information that

1:56:16we're asking for. How long do teams

1:56:18typically stay with residents? Um so it

1:56:22will be I think rolled out in in more of

1:56:24a pilot format. Um similar to I think

1:56:27the chief mentioned GVRS, right, where

1:56:29we would look at a particular um area to

1:56:32start with first and a very particular

1:56:34call type to start with before scaling

1:56:37up to a full full the full model. Thank

1:56:40you, Doc. And and one other thing, Mr.

1:56:42President, if I can add, um I look at

1:56:45like when I come to our first

1:56:46responders, right, and I think like even

1:56:48with the fire department, they do an

1:56:50excellent job of, you know, getting out

1:56:52there, meeting where they at, and a lot

1:56:54of them are dealing with crisis right

1:56:55then and there. So, I commend, you know,

1:56:59our team for just the ones that are not

1:57:01social workers, but are taking on the

1:57:03job as kind of sort of like social

1:57:04workers because they're trying to

1:57:05provide the care to those individuals.

1:57:07How do uh our emergency response team,

1:57:10how would they know who to contact

1:57:12directly? Because there there are social

1:57:14workers that are just like the best at

1:57:15what they do, right? And you know, the

1:57:17demographics that we're that we're

1:57:19talking with, again, I mentioned this

1:57:21over and over again, is about trust and

1:57:23it's about, you know, meeting them

1:57:24exactly where they're at. You know, when

1:57:25we're dealing with these social workers,

1:57:27I know my wife, she's a social worker. I

1:57:29I see how at one point in time, you

1:57:32know, individual pull out their heart

1:57:33and they'll tell them like everything

1:57:36about what they're going through, right?

1:57:38But then later on, you find out um at

1:57:41the school, I'm just mentioning for the

1:57:42school system, right? You you now

1:57:44bringing that individual, that kid in

1:57:46because of a situation may have

1:57:48happened. And now what you see is you

1:57:49see uh Baltimore City school police

1:57:52coming in and now the kid is looking at

1:57:55the police but also looking at the

1:57:56social worker like what is the police

1:57:58here for? Right? And now that kid feel

1:58:01like there's been a betrayal there.

1:58:03Right? I've given you all my information

1:58:04as my social worker the police is here.

1:58:07And then the social worker looking like

1:58:08I don't even know why the police is here

1:58:10myself. Right? The principal doing what

1:58:12they think is the best thing to do

1:58:14because the social worker have built a

1:58:15rapport with that student. Right? And

1:58:18then before you know it, at the end of

1:58:19the day when school let out, that same

1:58:21student just sliced off her tires

1:58:23because that student thought that the

1:58:25social worker betrayed them by bringing

1:58:28the police into the school. How do we

1:58:30kind of again just trying to figure out

1:58:33how do we build that trust, you know,

1:58:34where we can say, you know what, social

1:58:37worker had a conversation with the

1:58:38principal and say, listen, at this

1:58:40moment we don't need school police

1:58:42involved because it's not like it's a

1:58:44situation where somebody's getting hurt.

1:58:46is a situation where the kid brought

1:58:48some edibles to school, right? And I

1:58:50think that's a kind of like a parent

1:58:52teacher conversation as opposed to

1:58:54having school police there and then at

1:58:56the end of the day when it was all over

1:58:57police did anything about anything but

1:59:00the kid just saying that the trust just

1:59:02wasn't there and I see the retaliation

1:59:04that can happen. Councilman, one one

1:59:07response I want to give uh because I

1:59:09think it's an important question is I

1:59:11think as we build our protocols as we

1:59:13build uh the the yeah computerated

1:59:18dispatch systems response is going to be

1:59:20really important to differentiate when

1:59:23it is a co-response when we're sending

1:59:25both versus when we're just sending a

1:59:28team of clinicians peers EMS uh I think

1:59:34if there is a threat of danger. This is

1:59:36what we saw in Durham. It is absolutely

1:59:38essential that police be there. We do

1:59:40not ever want to put anyone in danger,

1:59:44particularly any clinician, any EMS

1:59:46worker. Um, but to your point about

1:59:49trust and how thin it can be both for

1:59:52young people and for our adults that

1:59:53have feel that have felt failed by

1:59:56systems throughout our history. It is

1:59:59really important that if someone just

2:00:02requests a clinician in some cases that

2:00:05we respect and honor that request. And I

2:00:08think part of how this system will

2:00:10either be credible or not credible is

2:00:13empowering the people who are making the

2:00:15calls to know who is coming out and

2:00:18being honest and transparent about it to

2:00:21support them. Just like Dr. Kyla shared

2:00:23the story of in that moment not wanting

2:00:26a police officer but wanting a

2:00:28clinician. We have to be clear as we

2:00:30design this system who is how are we how

2:00:33we are going to code and who is going to

2:00:35come out in various situations.

2:00:38>> Mr. President, on that note, could I ask

2:00:40Chief Wallace to talk some about 911

2:00:42operator training and dispatch because

2:00:44that's is such a critical component of

2:00:45this and we have some of the best 911

2:00:47dispatchers in the country and they are

2:00:49certainly up for this task.

2:00:50>> Chief

2:00:52Thank you, uh, chief of staff. Thank

2:00:54you, Council President. So, um,

2:00:55Councilman, I think that was an

2:00:57extraordinarily appropriate question.

2:01:00Um, you know, we've talked, we talk a

2:01:02lot about the response, the field

2:01:04response, the engagement, the

2:01:05interaction, and and and the deputy

2:01:07mayor's done an amazing job, but the

2:01:09first domino in this is going to be a

2:01:11911 call, as it is, uh, any other

2:01:14emergency in the city. That first domino

2:01:17lands right over here on FET Street. And

2:01:20I think that um we we I don't think

2:01:23we've already started to look internally

2:01:25about what we're going to need to do to

2:01:27train our dispatchers to to

2:01:29appropriately disposition those calls in

2:01:32the 911 center. To the council

2:01:34president's point, um we want to make

2:01:36sure they go to the right place at the

2:01:38right time. We already do that somewhat

2:01:40with with our nurse navigation system,

2:01:43right? We're already triaging things

2:01:45that come in. So, I think um as a

2:01:47department and as a 911 center, we're

2:01:50we're well positioned to absorb

2:01:54this program and be able to to get that

2:01:56out. Um but it is it's going to be

2:01:59paramount at the front end of this that

2:02:02that we give it um the tools that it

2:02:04needs, we give it the attention um and

2:02:06the time to to get these call takers

2:02:10queued up the right way so that we can

2:02:12properly route these calls where they

2:02:14need to be.

2:02:16your your question was spot on.

2:02:17>> No, and I and and I and I thank you for

2:02:19that and that's why I think I proposed

2:02:21that uh question only because again, you

2:02:23know, we've been in many situations

2:02:25where you and I met on the scene and and

2:02:27I've seen the great work you guys have

2:02:28done. I've seen the great work the

2:02:29police department has done as well, but

2:02:31I've seen um many of times how our EMS

2:02:35females, right, and our Baltimore City

2:02:37Police officers, the females, right,

2:02:39they bring a sense of caring. You know,

2:02:40that's just what they do. They they're

2:02:42nurturers. That's what they do. So, but

2:02:44we got to make sure that we're

2:02:45protecting them at all times when

2:02:46they're out there as well. So, I just

2:02:48want to make sure that again as we put

2:02:50together this puzzle, right? Because

2:02:51it's it's almost a full puzzle, but as

2:02:53we put these pieces together that we

2:02:55making sure that we're providing um also

2:02:57the help to the social workers, we

2:03:00always giving out the help, but who's

2:03:02helping the helper as well, right? So,

2:03:03we got to make sure that we aligning

2:03:05those components up as well. So again,

2:03:07thank you for uh your response and um I

2:03:10look forward to as we move forward um

2:03:12with creating this opportunity.

2:03:16Thank you, Councilman. Um I will just

2:03:19note the importance of to the

2:03:22councilman's point making sure we are

2:03:24trauma informed in how we are supporting

2:03:27the workforce. uh chief and I have had a

2:03:30really good partnership as we've been

2:03:31training the fire department in

2:03:33trauma-informed care, but making sure uh

2:03:36those clinicians who are going to

2:03:38experience a lot of frontline vicarious

2:03:42and direct retraumatization that they

2:03:45are good and are being taken care of. I

2:03:47think it's going to be incredibly

2:03:48important as well. Uh with that uh we I

2:03:53want to just first thank my colleagues

2:03:55for really really really thoughtful

2:03:57questions um and being um deliberative

2:04:01and tuned in. We are now going to t turn

2:04:04to public testimony. I am going to ask

2:04:07members of the public to please keep

2:04:09your testimony to 3 minutes or less.

2:04:12Please announce your name and if you're

2:04:14with an organization and I want to start

2:04:17with we have two students uh student

2:04:20leaders who have been sticking with us

2:04:22from students demand action. If you all

2:04:25could come up first and deliver your

2:04:27testimony, we would appreciate it.

2:04:37Hi guys, my name is Ka Wilkins. I'm a

2:04:40sophomore marketing major at Morgan

2:04:41State University here in Baltimore and

2:04:43I'm here representing the Morgan State

2:04:44Chapter of Students Demand Action to

2:04:47testify in support of ordinance 260221

2:04:51because the Department of Neighborhood

2:04:52Safety will enhance Baltimore's

2:04:53comprehensive violence prevention plan.

2:04:56Preventing gun violence is deeply

2:04:57personal for me as I lost someone very

2:04:59close to me, my father. My father was

2:05:01taken from me and my family in his own

2:05:03neighborhood. He was shot eight times by

2:05:05two men who were trying to rob him.

2:05:07under Mayor Scott and the city's council

2:05:09leadership. We've seen historic

2:05:10reductions in gun violence that makes me

2:05:12proud. But our work is not finished.

2:05:14This bill is important to the city of

2:05:15Baltimore because it presents a calmer

2:05:17approach to public safety. Sometimes the

2:05:19best way to respond to an emergency

2:05:21situation is without the presence of

2:05:23police. Knowing how situations are being

2:05:25handled and that there are resources

2:05:26available for people to heal from their

2:05:28trauma without involving law enforcement

2:05:30makes the public feel safer safer.

2:05:32Passing this act can only strengthen the

2:05:34impact made by the city of Baltimore in

2:05:36recent years. In 2025, homicides in

2:05:38Baltimore fell to their lowest level

2:05:39since 1977, a nearly 50-year low. And

2:05:43the trend has continued through 2026. As

2:05:45of October 1st, 2026, homicides have

2:05:47fell 15.3% and non-fatal shootings fell

2:05:504.2% compared to the same time in 2025.

2:05:53I urge the this committee to pass

2:05:55ordinance 26-0221

2:05:58as it will help ensure gun vi ensure

2:06:00violence reduction and address

2:06:02interpersonal conflict in the city while

2:06:04improving public safety without directly

2:06:06involving law enforcement. We need to

2:06:08take action now to keep the city of

2:06:09citizens of Baltimore safe.

2:06:12>> Thank you.

2:06:13>> Thank you.

2:06:18Thank you so much for your powerful

2:06:20testimony and for sharing that story uh

2:06:22about your father as well. We deeply

2:06:24appreciate you being here and being a

2:06:27part of this work with us.

2:06:29You want to come up too?

2:06:32>> All right.

2:06:34All right. Appreciate you coming to

2:06:36support. All right. Uh, Chaplain Denise

2:06:41Reid.

2:06:54>> Good evening everyone.

2:06:55>> Good evening.

2:06:56>> My name is Chaplain Denise Reid

2:06:59and I wanted to thank the Baltimore City

2:07:02Council Committee for this um,

2:07:04phenomenal hearing tonight. I'm here as

2:07:07a survivor leader with Mom's Demand

2:07:09Action for 10 years to testify in

2:07:11support of this ordinance. It has been

2:07:14and is an honor in my privilege to serve

2:07:16my beautiful city of Baltimore since

2:07:181977 at age 13. My faith has undoubtedly

2:07:23and sustained and equipped me to serve

2:07:25others for almost 50 years with love,

2:07:28compassion, and understanding. Our

2:07:30citizens, brave first responders, and

2:07:33valiant leaders deserve to have

2:07:36infrastructures in place that quell the

2:07:38hurt and pain of insurmountable traumas

2:07:41that may take years and decades to

2:07:43overcome. I've witnessed firsthand in my

2:07:46own immediate family debilitating

2:07:49traumas that have left them in a feeble

2:07:51state of mind. Sadly, nine family

2:07:53members have been killed in my beloved

2:07:55Baltimore City by sensorless gun

2:07:57atrocities. cousins, uncle, nephew, and

2:08:00my only precious son, Tayvon Taval

2:08:02Waters, Senior. He was shot at age 23

2:08:05and paralyzed from the neck down. And

2:08:08from a dreaded bullying on October 18th,

2:08:102006, which severed his spine on this

2:08:13Sunday, four days away, October 18th

2:08:16will be 20 years. My family and

2:08:18community should not be celebrating him

2:08:20this way. Most recently, on a warm

2:08:22summer day, June 6 in my beautiful

2:08:24Baltimore, a wet orange event was held

2:08:27for gun violence awareness near the

2:08:29Western District Police Department that

2:08:31I've been assigned to for 10 years.

2:08:33Gunfire rang out about 60 ft with

2:08:36hundreds and hundreds of Brazilian

2:08:38survivors. Still months later, October

2:08:412026, survivors and attendees are still

2:08:44reeling from the aftermath of this

2:08:46heinous trauma. When I finished my

2:08:48chapency training, April 2016, we were

2:08:52given a test. I vividly remember one

2:08:54heart-wrenching question 10 years later.

2:08:57Police officers had the highest rate of

2:08:59suicide in their vocation. Our brave

2:09:02responders should not have the weight of

2:09:04the world on their shoulders. I'm in

2:09:06full support of a new and robust

2:09:08immediate implementation of the

2:09:09Baltimore Department of Neighborhood

2:09:11Safety, especially when our BPD officer

2:09:14has about 280 sworn officers assigned to

2:09:17a budgeted requirement of roughly 2,600

2:09:20officers, leaving a shortage of over 400

2:09:22plus officers, and this is cited from

2:09:25the Baltimore Suns report on June 2026.

2:09:28This ordinance will invest in our public

2:09:31safety and make some make sure our

2:09:33police officers spend their time

2:09:35responding to emergencies where they are

2:09:36needed most. And I want to first thank

2:09:38you for your consideration of this

2:09:40well-needed entity to lessen the traumas

2:09:42of phenomenal vanguards watchmen on the

2:09:45wall. I want to share my brother David

2:09:48Reed Senior. His son was shot October

2:09:502020 and it was a murder for higher

2:09:53plot. These men came from California to

2:09:57kill my son. So, thank you again for

2:09:59this consideration.

2:10:01>> Thank you, Madam Chaplain. And again,

2:10:03thank you for your uh your work and your

2:10:06vulnerability in front of this

2:10:07committee. Deeply appreciated.

2:10:09>> Okay. Thank you.

2:10:11>> Next, we have Mo Modique Smith.

2:10:20Good afternoon, council president, and

2:10:22every single individual who I've watched

2:10:24you over the years serve our city. And

2:10:26I'm very proud to know each of you. Um,

2:10:29I'm very excited about this initiative,

2:10:31and I'm very forward when we have over

2:10:33570,000

2:10:35residents in Baltimore City. Any

2:10:37expansion of any resources is really a

2:10:40powerful thing. Having an opportunity to

2:10:42hear the detail, the intent of what you

2:10:45guys have done has made me feel more

2:10:47safe already and it hasn't um hasn't

2:10:50even begun yet. I think we know about

2:10:52stats and we know about statistics, but

2:10:54it's the actionable steps that we're

2:10:56taking to bring the real results that we

2:10:59want. We can talk about how many people,

2:11:01you know, are being shot or how many

2:11:02people are being, you know, in domestic

2:11:04violence situations. to be proactive

2:11:07intentionally the way that we are in

2:11:09this city is going to be yet another

2:11:10example. Thank you so much for your

2:11:12testimony, the young lady, because it

2:11:14gives her an opportunity to speak and

2:11:17stand and be a part of something and

2:11:18they're going to be the one that's going

2:11:19to catapult us into that next

2:11:21generation. So, I wanted to applaud

2:11:24that. The only my biggest concern is

2:11:25I've been a long-term advocate for

2:11:27missing, trafficked, and endangered

2:11:30individuals. 911 obviously is utilized

2:11:33abundantly when we have less than 4,000

2:11:35police officers trying desperately to

2:11:38meet the needs. Once again, this

2:11:40particular program will enhance what we

2:11:42do as far as a resource. The only thing

2:11:45that I did not hear is when changes are

2:11:47happen when the training proportion of

2:11:50it is concerned when new laws we now

2:11:53have a purple alert which is for mental

2:11:55health. So if someone is reported

2:11:57missing because they have dipo bipolar,

2:12:00they may be potentially prepared to

2:12:01either harm someone else and or

2:12:03themselves. So just to make sure that we

2:12:05are keeping missing, trafficked and

2:12:08endangered individuals in our

2:12:11conversations as we move forward. Thank

2:12:13you so much for your time and definitely

2:12:15for your service.

2:12:17>> Thank you for your leadership, Miss

2:12:19Monnique. Next we have

2:12:24Shale Seltzer.

2:12:33>> Three minutes.

2:12:33>> Three minutes. Yep.

2:12:36>> Don't start yet. I have papers for you.

2:13:06you'll need to share.

2:13:08Um, and then I have additional I just

2:13:11only have one copy though to to this.

2:13:14So,

2:13:17here's three.

2:13:23Okay. My name is child Seltzer. I live

2:13:25in Liberty Square neighborhood um

2:13:28northern police district.

2:13:32Okay. So um in 1990s police saved my

2:13:37life twice. Once I was on Garrison

2:13:39Boulevard waiting for a bus and a guy

2:13:42put a gun in my back and a police car

2:13:45sped over and he receded and I was able

2:13:49to get away. The other time is Fourth of

2:13:52July night. I was so ill

2:13:56um homeless and I held a bus stop. The

2:14:00bus never came and because of illegal

2:14:03fireworks, this guy on a bicycle went to

2:14:05get the police for me. [snorts] Um my

2:14:08experience with Monzi is they don't

2:14:10answer the telephone. Um, so I want to

2:14:15know

2:14:17what is your real agenda because the uh

2:14:21Durham

2:14:23um beyond policing states that states

2:14:29like all police and sheriff's offices,

2:14:31Durham Police Department and Durham

2:14:34Sheriff's Office cannot be reformed and

2:14:36thus must be abolished. Uh the Southern

2:14:40Vision Alliance, they have seem to have

2:14:42some really good people and really um

2:14:46great programs, but this one is to

2:14:49abolish. So if that's your mentor, you

2:14:52means that your goal is to abolish the

2:14:54police. What about the $3 billion that

2:14:58Baltimore City is in debt? And don't

2:15:01dare make it 8% sales tax because

2:15:04Philadelphia

2:15:06has street cars. They pay for their own

2:15:08public transportation and we don't.

2:15:12[sighs]

2:15:13So for five years I've been testifying

2:15:17here

2:15:19uh regarding pollution, regarding your

2:15:22horrible ideas for if you're sometimes

2:15:25part-time um always getting raises every

2:15:29year.

2:15:31And I'm at a point where

2:15:35the police are basically betraying me

2:15:40because I have approximately 75 tires

2:15:44dumped on my property and a mountain of

2:15:48garbage, trash, and and rubbish from a

2:15:51neighbor. He lives in a garage and he he

2:15:55blockades the alley so I can't get my

2:15:58house fixed. And now Baltimore City

2:16:01Department of Housing wants to take my

2:16:03house away and they cancelled a hearing

2:16:07and I have a letter. They they have

2:16:09fraudulent they fraudulently

2:16:12gave me a violation notice and and a

2:16:15lean on my house and and I need Please,

2:16:20Commissioner Worley, please help me.

2:16:22Please look at me.

2:16:25Hello.

2:16:26Oh, hi. Sorry. please

2:16:30because this isn't working. It's you all

2:16:34in a relationship with us. You are the

2:16:37public servants. We are your boss and it

2:16:40starts here not trying to change and

2:16:43have a new department. I am against it.

2:16:46>> We don't have the money.

2:16:48>> Thank you, Miss Celtzer. We appreciate

2:16:50your testimony.

2:16:52Next, we will hear from Joseph Pace.

2:17:04And in terms of public safety,

2:17:06>> Miss Seltzer, I'm sorry. We do have to

2:17:07get to the next.

2:17:08>> We're not a permeable city. We're going

2:17:10to sink. We're going to collapse

2:17:15>> with the inner harbor project.

2:17:16>> Thank you, Mr. Selzer.

2:17:18>> Mr. Peace, come on up.

2:17:20>> Who do I give so that they copy?

2:17:22>> You can give them to me.

2:17:23>> The testimony.

2:17:24>> You can give them directly to me. Well,

2:17:25you're going to have to give them back

2:17:27to me.

2:17:28>> Okay.

2:17:29>> Okay. Never mind.

2:17:31>> And Miss Seltzer, apologies, but I do

2:17:33need you to move a little bit so Mr.

2:17:34Pace can come on up and testify.

2:17:37>> Good evening. Uh to the council

2:17:40president and distinguished members of

2:17:42the Baltimore City Council. Uh thank you

2:17:45for your time. My name is Joseph Pace

2:17:48and I'm a proud resident of Baltimore

2:17:50City who sees not only the potential but

2:17:53the beauty that this city holds. I

2:17:56purchased my home here at 27 years old

2:18:00moving from DC and I have been here ever

2:18:03since. I am now a 35year-old homeowner

2:18:08and I'm here today to testify on why we

2:18:10desperately need comprehensive victim

2:18:13and witness services. I am also a

2:18:17minister within my local church and

2:18:19constantly pouring into people. When I

2:18:22come home, I want to know that the city

2:18:24has the proper people in the right

2:18:26places. At the end of the day, I just

2:18:29want a safe neighborhood and I have

2:18:31stepped up for this city. The

2:18:33constituent that um Councilman Glover

2:18:37was talking about was me. Um I have

2:18:40supported our police with information to

2:18:42help solve crimes on our streets. But

2:18:45despite doing my part and putting myself

2:18:47out there, I still don't have the

2:18:49support of feeling safe inside my own

2:18:52home.

2:18:53I too lost my father at a very young

2:18:56age, so I know what it feels like to

2:18:58navigate hardship without a complete

2:19:01safety net. The ongoing trouble and

2:19:04instability outside of our doors makes

2:19:07the daily toll on our neighborhood

2:19:09almost unbearable.

2:19:11Monitoring security cameras at 2 in the

2:19:14morning because you feel unsafe in your

2:19:16own home destroys a resident's peace of

2:19:18mind. Through all of this trouble, we

2:19:20have not been completely alone. I want

2:19:23to give a massive shout out to Antonio

2:19:25Glover's office, to Major Gadiz of the

2:19:28Southeastern District, and also to Arch

2:19:31who has constantly kept us up to date

2:19:33with what's going on in our community.

2:19:35You have stood right beside us through

2:19:38it all and that's greatly appreciated.

2:19:42You have been true advocate for those of

2:19:45us who feel like we don't have a voice.

2:19:48We are real people and we deeply

2:19:50appreciate your dedication. But as

2:19:53incredible as the support from our local

2:19:55advocates are or is rather they cannot

2:19:58carry this weight alone. We need all

2:20:00hands on deck. And while our local

2:20:02leaders stand by us, constituents who

2:20:05are victims and witnesses need

2:20:07specialized wraparound services to

2:20:10survive the aftermath of neighborhood

2:20:12trauma and stress. We need the proper

2:20:15help and we need structural systems,

2:20:18dedicated

2:20:20advocates, and permanent support

2:20:22professionals in place to protect our

2:20:24citizens. Please ensure these vital

2:20:27victim and witness services are fully

2:20:29funded, robust, and available to every

2:20:32constituent who needs them. Thank you

2:20:35for listening to my voice, sir.

2:20:38>> Thank you so much, Mr. Pace. And again,

2:20:40thank you for uh your vulnerability and

2:20:43sharing part of your story. Uh next up,

2:20:46we have Gary Moore Bay from the Peace

2:20:49Team.

2:20:51Gary will be followed by Ron Brady, also

2:20:54from the peace team.

2:20:58>> Good evening, president. Good evening to

2:21:00the council and good evening to the

2:21:02body. Uh my name is Gary Mo Bay. I work

2:21:05with the peace team. I'm currently a

2:21:07community engagement worker. You know,

2:21:10we uh boost on the ground over West

2:21:13Baltimore area. I currently reside over

2:21:15uh West Baltimore area. And I was also,

2:21:18you know, offered the privilege to work

2:21:20alongside with Mazy during the summer

2:21:21youth engagement in which I was pos

2:21:24positioned as um as the lead for the

2:21:27peace team. So I'm speaking for like

2:21:28firsthand uh experience, you know, it

2:21:32definitely was a beautiful moment, you

2:21:33know, to build a relationship amongst

2:21:35with the police officers, you know, the

2:21:38school police officers, you know, other

2:21:40other figures of authority and, you

2:21:42know, other important members, you know,

2:21:44of the community. Um we are in full

2:21:46support you know other legislative being

2:21:48passed because you know we need communal

2:21:51support you know that's where [snorts]

2:21:53all relies down to you know that's what

2:21:55it boil down to at the end of the day

2:21:56communal support you know you got to

2:21:58build that that concrete relationship no

2:22:00matter what hat that you wear no matter

2:22:02what religion that you may you know

2:22:03practice or the hue of your of your skin

2:22:07you know we all we all one and we all

2:22:09need to be together at the end of the

2:22:10day you know um the second it It'll

2:22:15relieve the stress from you know BPD the

2:22:17fire department you know if we are are

2:22:20one depart de uh decompartmentalized

2:22:24within the city you know however we are

2:22:26all focused on one goal which is

2:22:28restoring and healing the community one

2:22:30step at a time one house at a time one

2:22:32family at a time so within the peace

2:22:35team we uh we deal with violent

2:22:37prevention youth engagement and

2:22:39community empowerment we uh we also have

2:22:42a initiative the 100 forund

2:22:44which it means that we need 100

2:22:46dedicated members. No matter where you

2:22:48work at, no matter, you know, what your

2:22:50stance is, we need just 100 dedicated

2:22:52people to help us lower down the murder

2:22:54rate by 100. And we also, you know, we

2:22:57uh collaborate with safe streets. We our

2:22:59us again, Marzy and many uh community

2:23:02based organizations. We are serious

2:23:04about our work. You know, we strive to

2:23:06be honorable in our deeds. We try to be

2:23:08integrity, practice integrity, you know,

2:23:11each day of the of the minute or each

2:23:13hour of the minute. Um, what else? And

2:23:17be the best version of oursel because me

2:23:20personally, like I'm a returning

2:23:21citizen, so I know what it's like to be

2:23:23on the other side, you know, practicing

2:23:25ignorance, you know, practice of

2:23:26misdirected anger and, you know,

2:23:28bringing damage to the community. Now

2:23:30that I'm granted with a second chance to

2:23:31be out here, I'm putting my best foot

2:23:33forward and you know, being a

2:23:36representation of the team and I'm doing

2:23:38my best to be my best. Um, again, we met

2:23:42before. So again, it's grateful that I'm

2:23:45up here, you know, just to share, you

2:23:46know, the testimony not only for myself,

2:23:48but for the team that I represent.

2:23:52And that's all I have. I yield. Thank

2:23:54you for letting me speak, ladies and

2:23:55gentlemen.

2:24:00Thank you so much, Mr. Moore Bay, for

2:24:03the outstanding work you're doing with

2:24:04the peace team. Uh, are there any other

2:24:08members of the public wishing to testify

2:24:10at this time?

2:24:14hearing and seeing none, I want to first

2:24:19thank my colleagues, uh, the

2:24:22administration,

2:24:24uh, members of the agencies, and most

2:24:26importantly the public for all of the

2:24:30support, thoughts, feedback, uh,

2:24:33critique, everything that we heard

2:24:35tonight. Uh really want to just again

2:24:38appreciate my own staff uh Lucinda,

2:24:41Evie, Alana, Emma, um all the folks

2:24:45who've been working really

2:24:46collaboratively

2:24:47uh with the mayor's team to get this

2:24:50right. This is going to take all of

2:24:53Baltimore. It is not going to be one

2:24:56agency. It is not going to be one part

2:25:00of the government. Is going to be all of

2:25:01us. and it's going to mean community at

2:25:04the center of the work that we do

2:25:07because that is how Baltimore wins. We

2:25:10will have another hearing where we will

2:25:12hear amendments as well as vote on this

2:25:14bill. Uh but for now, this committee is

2:25:20in recess.