After his grandson was killed in 2017, Delegate Talmadge Branch is hoping to take a public safety program started in Baltimore, and bring it statewide.
Branch is introducing the Public Safety - Baltimore City Safe Streets Initiative on Tuesday in Annapolis. The legislation asks the Governor to appropriate $3.6 million in the annual state budget to allow Baltimore to set up multiple Safe Streets programs in other cities.
“Talking with various members of the Police Department about the best program to reduce murders, they all agreed on Safe Streets. The people who work in the Safe Streets programs understand the culture of the streets, and are willing to go into troubled neighborhoods and diffuse situations,” said Branch.
The Safe Streets program in Baltimore has helped communities like McElderry Park cut down their crime rates.
“My goal is to save as many lives in Baltimore City as possible. With this funding and implementation of the Safe Streets Initiatives, we will see a change in the murder rate Baltimore City. Then families like mine and so many others will not have to find ways to pay tribute to the loss of their loved ones,” said Branch.
