Public Safety

I started attending public safety meetings because of all the problems I saw regarding crime in my community. Having served as the Public Safety Chair for six years in Canton, I have worked with six different Majors and Southeast Command, which is part of the recent trend of turnover. We need to focus on retaining BPD officers and getting more support from other agencies to address the Public Safety needs of our City and District. Public Safety is the number one concern of the constituents in this District, and after speaking with hundreds of victims or families of victims over the last six years, I want to do everything in my power to protect constituents and prevent the existence of future victims of crime. I want to continue working on building the relationship between police and communities, as well as relationships among neighbors. So why the slogan Safer Blocks, Stronger Blocks? Major Clinedinst, in 2018, would tell everyone that the most important thing we can do to improve public safety is to know our neighbors.

That inspired me to implement the block captain program in my neighborhood of Canton. We now have more than 150 blocks covered. This program opens up lines of communication between the Captain and the residents on that street. Communicating with your neighbors and getting to know each other grows a relationship and leads to more ownership over your block. You are more likely to look out for your neighbor if you know their name and have good conversations with them. For an illustration of the block captain program in Canton that I implemented, go to https://www.cantoncommunity.org/block-captain.

My vision now is to expand the block captain program to the entire district, increasing communication on packages, parking, outages, garbage and recycling, and other 311 matters. People shouldn’t have to worry about whether their packages will be there when they get home after a long day of work. Unfortunately, many of us have experienced the criminal element in this city that preys on this entitlement we have all grown accustomed to. It is our responsibility to work together as neighbors and community members to ensure that our packages are safe. Currently, we are using police resources for package theft when they could be better utilized for other major crimes if we did more to prevent this from happening. A block captain’s most crucial step is creating a Facebook group, WhatsApp group, and/ or email group for their block. This increases communication, actively decreases larceny (package theft, which is the most common crime here), and increases parcel defenders, security camera coverage, and lighting.

I am also running to represent the victims of violence who are often forgotten and brushed to the side. I want to run for Victor Malabayabas, Sebastian Dvorak, Fabian Sanchez Gonzalez, Carmen Rodriguez, Destiny Harrison, Chesley “Chesco” Patterson, Izaiah Carter, and Darrell Benner. Preservation of life should be the number one priority of society. We need to end the violence and enforce the law, focusing on individual recidivism, gangs, acquisition of illegal guns, and our youth. According to Commissioner Worley, 30% of illegal gun possession involves juveniles; however, the remaining amount is still mostly young men under the age of 25. If the number one priority of a society is the preservation of life, the number one priority for Baltimore City is the prevention of these guns getting into the hands of this demographic, and it has to be every law enforcement agency playing their part, including ATF stopping the sale across states and the manufacturing of ghost guns. We also need to educate everyone on how to avoid dangerous situations to the extent possible and how to use de-escalation tactics that can save lives.

Another way to help decrease crime and also traffic accidents is by increasing the district’s security and traffic cameras and lights. The latter affected me personally when I was blindsided by a car while walking to the gym one night. Luckily, I wasn’t seriously injured, but I have seen some very bad accidents over the years I have lived here. I have lived on two very busy streets, Boston Street and Conkling Street, and witnessed motorists not stopping at stop signs and red lights and driving more than double the speed limit. This is unacceptable! Statistics show that driving slower makes you less likely to injure or kill a pedestrian or biker. We also need to ensure 311 requests about speed humps and additional pedestrian and biking infrastructure are assessed in a more efficient way, while meeting the standards of Complete Streets and continuing towards that direction as well.

Our city has had difficulty keeping the police and fire departments fully staffed. I will advocate to increase the benefits of Police, Fire and EMT to attract new recruits, retain them, and reduce emergency response times. No resident should have to worry about how long it will take for our first responders to help them. For community policing and complete compliance with the largest Consent Decree in US history to be possible, we need more officers, ideally the equivalent of two officers per police post. It is impossible for officers to go far away from patrol vehicles on foot and be in a position to provide backup to other police posts when needed. The Sheriff’s Office and other agencies and units can also help provide more coverage, especially in the areas with the most crime.

I will also encourage more consistent COP Walks and Community Improvement Walks. Redacted Crime Summaries need to be provided again to form a basis for the events and to highlight and increase awareness of patterns for both the police and the communities. I will be at each Walk in the district I can make if elected. My 311 App and tracking file will be ready, making constituent services and public safety my top priorities. My first hire will be a Social Worker who can help us work with those who are suffering from mental illness and/ or addiction to get them the resources they need. We will also educate people on utilizing 211 more often; however, there needs to be an overall expansion of who these responders are treating. This will lessen the call volume for BPD and BCFD. I also want to work with hospital systems’ psychiatric units and mental health and addiction programs to initiate or expand current city programs, specifically Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), and a Narcan Distribution Program to local businesses.

Baltimore City is the only jurisdiction without a State Trooper Barracks, and we should demand one. The average Barracks has about 100 Troopers and civilian workers of the twenty-three existing ones. If we had that, two Troopers and civilian support could supplement each district at a given time, covering National and State Routes as well as all Trucking Routes, enforcing traffic law, running tags, and thereby helping to reduce stolen vehicles, illegal drugs, and guns, and other criminal acts. This will help BPD, which is struggling to retain officers, and it will also help supplement the Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office which is helping enforce State’s Attorney Ivan Bates’ new policy on citations and misdemeanors. It would also help Baltimore get closer to two officers per police post, which is essential for actual community policing if that is something we are serious about achieving.

I also want to bring back the Public Safety Taskforce for the district to share best practices and foster communication among neighborhoods. I will utilize this taskforce to help expand the block captain program, lighting, security cameras, parcel defenders, grants, and resolutions to 311 matters.