BALTIMORE — It's a pilot program to address concerns in communities. Now, the Neighborhood Policing Plan is expanding in West Baltimore.
Identifying challenges on a public safety front that the community is seeing and developing a plan to make changes. The Neighborhood Policing Plan Pilot Community is a partnership between the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE), Baltimore Police and the community.
"This is something that Mayor Scott outlines in the comprehensive violence prevention plan and it has everything to do with BPD's requirements to and the consent decree around community policing,” said Stephanie Mavronis who is the MONSE Interim Executive Director.
She said the pilot programs started in summer of 2021 with South and West Baltimore. Now, they're expanding to the Walbrook, Rosemont and Coppin Heights neighborhoods with a focus on the West North Avenue corridor.
"We considered a lot of things when picking the next community. We considered the proposal that each of the neighborhoods submitted. I will say that public safety challenges, active public safety challenges did play a role in helping determine who we were going to pick next,” said Mavronis.
Meetings will be held every two weeks in these neighborhoods. This is a big step for those who work and live there.
"Residents know their neighborhood, a lot of these people have been living here for years so they know what they are used to from old Baltimore and what they want new Baltimore to be like,” said Sekou Titley who is a Rent a Center Sales Manager in the Walbrook Junction.
Kenisha Moore, Rent A Center Sales Manager in the Walbrook Junction area, echoed a similar response, "Having the meetings and really getting the community involved the people who live in this neighborhood, having their voice really be heard and really putting something into action, I think will be awesome.”
While some establishments in the Walbrook Junction already feel the police presence is strong.
"Whenever I need help they always come work with us and randomly they always come here to make a round and we are very happy with them" said the manager of Save of Lot.
There are still some concerns from others that work in the shopping area that can be addressed.
"Riff raff people hanging around that don't look too friendly, that kind of deters business, stuff like that,” said Moore.
The program's expansion stems from a $250,000 grant and will kick off later this month.
