Building Trust & Reducing Crime

Without safe communities, nothing else is really possible.

While violent crime rates in Baltimore City are trending at an all-time low, so far this year Baltimore County has seen certain increases in rates of violent crimes like aggravated assaults and sexual violence, according to data from Major Cities Chiefs Association. 

Towson is an unfortunate example of this. Our civic capital has been the victim of devastating crimes that instill fear in the community and disrupt the vitality of the region.

When people feel unsafe, it has real consequences. Families start looking for safer places to live. Businesses hesitate to invest. Neighbors stop trusting each other and communities lose their sense of connection. In fact, the last census showed that for the first time in a century, Baltimore County’s population has declined. We cannot afford to let fear drive people away.

Real safety is more than just crime statistics—it’s about people feeling protected where they live.

Nick’s Plan to Foster Safe Communities:

• Revamp BCStat into CrimeStat: On the first day, we will perform a comprehensive review of BCStat, our crime reporting system, and set standards for the consistent and correct classification of crimes. We will also prioritize and invest to create CrimeStat. Crimestat is more than a reporting tool. It should be the fulcrum of our crime fight, driving strategic decision-making, promoting inter-agency and cross-agency collaboration and, most importantly, fostering accountability with the community using public facing resources. 
• Strategic and responsive policing: Focus prosecutorial resources on the small number of individuals responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime. This includes targeting violent cross-jurisdictional crime by partnering with law enforcement counterparts, using joint task forces and embedding County officers with other agencies and vice versa to hold repeat offenders and perpetual bad actors accountable. 
• Expand programs for at-risk youth:  Steer youth away from crime before they enter the system—because kids deserve support, not criminalization. This means supporting organizations like Roca Inc and the UMBC Choice program and investing in Community Schools and leveraging proven restorative justice and community engagement programs that hold juveniles accountable while giving them a foundation for safe, productive lives. A big part of that effort is making juvenile crime data public through CrimeStat.
• Expand anti-crime technology: Law enforcement already has very difficult and dangerous jobs, so government has an obligation to provide the best technologies and tools that keep our officers and our communities safe. Officers can do their jobs more effectively, and with greater morale, when their properly equipped. This requires a concerted investment in latest technologies as well as systems, policies and ordinances that guarantee usage and efficacy. Among these technologies are CCTV camera and car tag trackers, NIBIN for tracing gun crimes, Nighthawk LEOVision for collating CCTV and tracking data across agencies. These technologies paired with a revamped CrimeStat and improved staffing will integrate actionable leads in real time that lead to safer streets and more effective interventions. 
• Prioritize recruitment and resources: In view of our major officer shortage, we will attract 600 new high-qualified officers while retaining top-tier police officers, ensuring they have the training, resources and equipment needed to protect residents and boost morale. Our process must be rigorous and competitive, but we also have hundreds of vacancies that must be filled which is why we will also commit to the Green Shirt Program by rehiring retired officers on a part time basis. 
• Stand by our officers by equipping them properly: We must deliver take home vehicles. The promise was made, and the law passed but execution has been lopsided. Nick Stewart will ensure all officers, whether employed prior to the agreement, onboarded afterwards or those new to the department have opportunity for a take home vehicle. Also, the department needs to address resource shortages for officers by issuing more sets of uniforms to new officers, installing encrypted radios in cars and fully staffing mental health services to ensure all referrals are accepted and processed promptly.
• Modernize and optimize the Department: We have to conduct a complete review of all law enforcement resources and reimagine how we optimize these resources in the county relative to our peers. We must evaluate the relationship between our Police, Sheriffs and civilian law enforcement staff. We should modernize our scheduling and overtime systems to ensure fair and efficient overtime payments, our parking citation systems and our shoplifter and trespasser data sharing platforms to ensure officers have all of the data they need to do their jobs efficiently. Critically, we will evaluate how civilian support roles such as crossing guards and minor accident responders could be utilized, along with part time and flex schedules, to relieve officers and ensure an efficient, orderly and unstressed police department. 
• Property Tax Support for Police: Establish a property tax program – whether a stipend or a credit – to make it more affordable for police officers to buy a home and live in Baltimore County.
• Public Safety Academy: Design and build a state-of-the-art Public Safety Academy that can train police, fire, and EMS under one roof

Special Provisions for Towson Mall

In recent months, there have been disturbing incidents in Towson that have left us reeling.  Towson is the County’s downtown and a vital core for our civic, economic and educational foundations.  We must take action to ensure Towson, the Mall and surrounding areas are safe and secure at all times.

In coordination with law enforcement experts, we will:

• Stand with victims, including interpleading in cases when necessary to protect their rights.
• Create an MOU with Towson Town Center requiring enforceable mall safety standards in exchange for additional County security support.
• Establish a police substation at the Mall and expand police patrol coverage to formally include the mall, with increased presence during peak hours and known hotspots.
• Evaluate Special Police Officer status for mall security, similar to CCBC campuses, to strengthen on-site enforcement.
• Revitalize Towson’s core through safer streets, slower traffic, improved transit, and more family-friendly public spaces that improve safety through activity and presence. Learn more here.
• As discussed above, we will reassign the Sheriff’s Office to prioritize warrants, summonses, peace orders, and protective orders—freeing police to focus on policing particularly in the Towson Town Center.

Across all of these efforts we must dedicate ourselves to rebuilding trust between residents, police and policymakers by creating open conversations and real collaboration to ensure public safety efforts reflect what communities actually need.

Public safety isn’t just about crime rates— it’s about people feeling safe walking in their neighborhoods, sending their kids to school and supporting local businesses.

With smart policies, real accountability and strong partnerships, Nick will make sure Baltimore County is a place where families can live, work and thrive—without fear.

For more on Nick’s vision on improving public safety, check out his op-ed below:

Baltimore County needs rational policy to bring down crime | GUEST COMMENTARY

Baltimore County needs to establish an environment of trust and pursue rational policies to be effective in fighting crime, writes Nick Stewart.

Baltimore Sun