Baltimore voters could be weighing in on the next step for local police control next year.
During Monday night’s council meeting, City Councilmember Mark Conway introduced two pieces of legislation, including a charter amendment, that would inch the city closer to clinching full local control of the police department. The charter amendment outlines the responsibilities and role of the police department, along with the department’s structure. The other piece of legislation is an amendment to the city code that would allow the council to more clearly define smaller aspects of day to day operations – these are items that would not need to be approved by city voters.
“Part of the reason why they’re separate is there are going to be components to a city agency for which you want to protect behind the charter,” said Conway in an interview before the legislation’s formal introduction. “Basic powers for the police commissioner and structure of the police department – that should not change at the whim of the council but needs to be left to the vote of the people.”
Baltimore City voters in 2022 overwhelmingly approved having full local control of the police department by making it a city agency; it had been under state control since before the Civil War. But there have been outstanding factors that have prevented that full transition from becoming final.
City lawmakers and local control advocates alike have expressed concern about language in the state constitution that would need to be altered by the General Assembly so that the city could have full autonomy over the department. The line in question states, “no ordinance of the City or act of any municipal officer, other than an act of the Mayor pursuant to Article IV of this Charter, shall conflict, impede, obstruct, hinder or interfere with the powers of the Police Commissioner.”
Read more (and listen) at WYPR.
