Open-air drug markets targeted by Baltimore City Council, calling for more police action

The Baltimore City Council's Public Safety Committee met with law enforcement officials and local agency leaders Tuesday, urging them to develop a plan to address open-air drug markets in the city. 

The renewed call for action comes nearly two months after a series of mass overdoses impacted more than 30 people in the Penn North community.

During the meeting Tuesday, Public Safety Chair Mark Conway called for the Baltimore Police Department, Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE) and the city's health department to collaborate on a plan to effectively dismantle drug markets. 

Conway said he expects a comprehensive plan to be presented within 60 days. He emphasized that it should be in writing and detail the expected actions and outcomes. 

According to Conway, the agencies have made progress in other areas, like violence prevention, but they dropped the ball on addressing the city's opioid crisis. 

"I've been asking for this for 364 days," Conway said. "This has been a recurring issue that we know we have to address. We have made significant progress in violence, but we all know, we still have significant complaints and problems that are preventing people from feeling safe in their own homes." 

During the meeting, Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said his department has a plan, but stressed that it would take some time. 

"We want to ultimately get the suppliers of the drugs, arrest the users, they can get the wrap-around services when they go to jail," Worley said. "There are so many open-air drug markets. We're not going to be able to shut down every one."