BALTIMORE — The Baltimore City Police Department and the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement have crime reduction plans, but how many other city departments have one as well?
To make sure more departments have a plan, Councilman James Torrence has created a new city ordinance to create a task force of department heads from nine city departments.
From the Department of Planning to Recreation and Parks, the Housing Authority, and even the Department of Transportation, each one is tasked with creating crime reduction strategies.
His goal is to have each department actively working to reduce all types of crime.
One example Councilman Torrence gave was;
“We have a number of places where we have bad lighting, and people saw an opportunity to do carjackings. If we increase the lighting, that lessens the ability for people to actually have the opportunity for people to commit the crime," says James Torrence.
Each Monday, people with the We Our Us movement hold community walks, talking to people in their neighborhoods about reducing crime.
Michael Franklin, a volunteer with the organization, says people he spoke with say the main thing they want to see: is more support for Baltimore’s youth.
“Providing our young people with not just educational opportunities, recreational opportunities, opportunities to gain 21st-century skills that really alter the trajectory and put them on a path to a better life, it’s important," says Michael Franklin.
It's the type of feedback Councilman Torrence is hoping to get so new programs can be created to help these same communities.
“I think that having this task force allows us to create administrative regulations but also putting at the forefront the community being a partner in the work," says Torrence.
When hearing about the ordinance, Dr. Andrey Bunley says it makes him feel good to know city leaders are trying to focus more resources on crime prevention and he is looking forward to hearing more about the plans.
“However many people you have that's moving positive then that's fewer people being negative so I’m always optimistic I always want to see better I believe that things can be better. Some of the things we're doing now they were just a thought, now they are actually happening so I’m a believer," says Dr. Bunley.
Councilman Torrance also says one of his goals, if the task force is created, is to have public sessions with communities so they can give feedback and ideas to the different city agencies on how their department can help reduce crime.
