Baltimore City Council to vote on establishing new "Department of Neighborhood Safety"

The Baltimore City Council votes Monday on a bill that would establish the Department of Neighborhood Safety (DNS), a completely new public agency designed to respond to non-violent crisis calls across the city. 

The proposed new department would employ mental health clinicians and peer responders who are trained to respond to nonviolent emergencies. It would also formally incorporate the work of the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE).

The department would have equal standing with the police and fire departments and employ trained staff to respond to nonviolent crisis calls.

Some of the funding for the agency would come from Baltimore's opioid settlement, but long-term costs remain unclear.

Last month, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said, "Obviously it's going to involve city funds. We're going to have to stand up a completely new agency, but that's why we're going to do this the right way and not rush it," the mayor said.

Scott declined to provide specifics about the long-term costs, saying it is too early. "First, we have to get a bill passed before we can talk about any of that stuff," Scott said.

A news release from the mayor's office said $3.4 million in opioid restitution funds would be used "to support the initial planning phase," along with $1 million in federal funds to expand alternative response team capabilities.

DNS would also codify the work of the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, or MONSE, the administration's violence-prevention program. City leaders have credited MONSE with helping contribute to a historic drop in homicides.

"This is about making sure that we are not sending folks with lights and sirens and guns and badges to something they don't need to," Scott said. "Because what our residents want the police to be doing is what they should be focused on—people with guns, gun traffickers, groups of violent people. ... Our residents do not want the police out there dealing with something they're not the most equipped to do. This is what this is about for us. Nothing else."

The mayor's office estimated that about 22,000 911 calls each year could be better handled by alternative responders rather than police. Those calls include reports of loitering, welfare checks and requests for help involving people experiencing homelessness. The city said homeless services account for roughly one-third of those calls.