Baltimore City agencies seek to address staffing shortages amid budget hearings
BALTIMORE -- As Baltimore City Council continues budget hearings for the upcoming fiscal year, the city grapples with significant staffing shortages. A common thread among the agencies' budget requests is the need for increased funds for salaries in order to ensure continued operation.
Ivan Bates, Baltimore City State's Attorney, has made a clear request for increased funding to hire additional prosecutors and to support the evidence review process.
According to Bates, his office handles about 40,000 cases annually and requires about 229 prosecutors, an increase of 59 positions from the current staffing.
A key issue, Bates said, is the time-consuming process of sifting through police body camera footage. He is requesting an additional $3.5 million to expedite this task and to alleviate some of the burdens from the prosecutors.
"For every 100 officers in a jurisdiction, there should be at least one staff member needed to process the video of body worn camera footage," Bates said during Monday's hearing.
Beyond the State Attorney's office, concerns were also raised about pay disparities within the Baltimore sheriff's office. Councilman Robert Stokes pointed out during the hearing that Baltimore sheriff's deputies are likely "the lowest paid law enforcement, probably in the state of Maryland."
Sheriff Sam Cogen concurred with Stokes, highlighting that there are nearly 50 vacant positions in various departments in the sheriff's office, partly attributed to low pay. According to Cogen, deputy sheriffs earn about 20% less than Baltimore police officers.
"That's highly problematic for us," said Cogen. "It's one of the things that we are working very, very hard to try to change because we need to be able to recruit qualified people and retain the hard-working people that we have."
As the city's budget hearings continue tonight, the police department is expected to make its budget requests. Amid these salary concerns, Mayor Scott's proposed budget for 2024 calls for a slight reduction in police funds compared to fiscal year 2023.
