Baltimores Mayor Makes Public Year-In-Progress Report Of His Crime Prevention Strategy – CBS Baltimore

BALTIMORE (WJZ) Mayor Brandon Scott on Friday made public a safety report that shows a snapshot of the progress his administration has made under the implementation of his violence prevention plan.

The report on the incremental outcome of the five-year-long Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan was compiled by the Mayors Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE), according to city officials.

The plan aims to treat gun violence as though it is a public health crisis through coordinated and sustainable practices.

Scott allocated $50 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds over the next three years to MONSE and charged it with funding violence prevention efforts, including community violence intervention, victim services, youth justice, re-entry services, and community healing.

Making Baltimore a safer city for all of our residents is the most critical undertaking of my administration; however, we can only produce sustained outcomes if we center our approach to public safety around public health, trauma-informed practices, and the lived experiences of our residents, Scott said. This is not work that occurs overnight, but MONSE and my entire administration remain committed to building and operationalizing systems that will help us move Baltimore forward towards a healthier and safer future.

To date, the year-old agency has accomplished the following:

In fiscal year 2023, MONSE will focus on (1) deepening and broadening a partnership with law enforcement partners through the group violence reduction strategy, (2) further developing Baltimores community violence intervention ecosystem, (3) increasing the capacity of community-based organizations to support the work of violence prevention, (4) developing a robust re-entry program for people experiencing incarceration, and (5) establishing internal and external data tracking tools to measure key performance indicators.

Also on Friday, Scott made public his decision to tap former acting police commissioner Anthony Barksdale to be Baltimores deputy mayor for public safety, according to city officials.

Scott revealed on Friday that he had asked Barksdale to oversee the policies and operations of the citys public safety agencies.

Those agencies include the Baltimore Police Department, the MONSE, the Baltimore City Fire Department, and the Office of Emergency Management.

Barksdale will also be tasked with ensuring the implementation of the citys consent decree.

Additionally, he expected to coordinate the implementation of the mayors Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan in partnership with MONSE.

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Baltimores Mayor Makes Public Year-In-Progress Report Of His Crime Prevention Strategy - CBS Baltimore