Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement Violence Prevention Strategic Plan

Baltimore City is grappling with multiple public health crises: the global COVID-19 pandemic and local epidemics of opioid overdoses and gun violence.  Since 2015, the city has seen an excess of 300 homicides per year—the overwhelming majority of which were gun-related.  The overreliance on police to reduce violence and strengthen community safety has not only failed to yield sustainable results; it has also come at an extremely high social cost to many of the city’s most vulnerable communities.

In order to democratize public safety in Baltimore, Mayor Brandon Scott established the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE) on December 23, 2020.  MONSE has a clear mandate to lead citywide efforts in addressing crisis levels of gun violence today, while also addressing broader social determinants of health for a safer and more equitable Baltimore tomorrow.  To do this, MONSE must engage, empower and align public agencies and community partners—the whole weight of Baltimore—in the broader pursuit of more public safety with more justice and less harm. 
 
On Wednesday, February 24, Mayor Scott unveiled MONSE’s Strategic Plan, which reflects key recommendations from the Mayor’s Public Health and Safety Transition Committee’s final report, complements the Baltimore Police Department’s Crime Reduction and Departmental Transformation Plan, and builds upon the Baltimore City Health Department Citywide Violence Prevention Framework and its community feedback.

View the full Citywide Violence Prevention Framework and Plan here.

MONSE recognizes the importance of building WITH the community and welcomes feedback on the framework and plan from every Baltimorean. Provide feedback here.