New legislation aims to improve public safety in Baltimore

As I’ve knocked on thousands of doors and spoken with constituents over the past few months, one theme has consistently emerged: Baltimore residents do not feel safe in their city. This theme is one that crosses income, racial, gender and social lines.

This fact, though disheartening, should not come as a surprise to our city and state political leaders. It seems that nearly every day new reporting from The Sun and other media outlets sheds light on the uptick in violent crime and incidents of irresponsible policing practices that jointly undermine public support for the city’s law enforcement. The problem then is two-fold: Residents are concerned about crime, and they have minimal confidence in the Police Department. As public officials, we must realize that we cannot adequately address one problem without also solving the other.

Fixing a problem as consequential as this cannot be done by one branch or level of government alone. It will require the coordination and support of elected and appointed leaders throughout Baltimore City and the state of Maryland. Together, we must identify and enact protocols that will serve as long-term solutions to the public safety crisis that has for far too long persisted in our city.

We must identify and enact protocols that will serve as long-term solutions to the public safety crisis that has for far too long persisted in our city.