Baltimore City Council Delays Funding for Strategic Decision Support Centers

7/9/2020
 

In response to the 342 homicides in Baltimore in 2017, versions of Chicago's Strategic Decision Support Centers (SDSCs) were created in the summer of 2018. They were built in the Eastern and Western police districts, which have been some of the most violent for over a decade and accounted for 104 of the homicides in Baltimore in 2017. The centers were to be expanded and to have their funding doubled, but they have lost the support of City Council President Brandon Scott, also the Democratic Nominee for mayor this year.

SDSCs are "real-time intelligence hubs designed to keep police informed about what’s happening on the ground and respond to crimes as they occur." They collect data on the shots fired within their zones, information from street informants, and anniversaries of homicides. This information is then used by the Baltimore Police Department to make decisions regarding the deployment of officers. The intelligences is also shared with violence interruption groups with the intention of sending workers to intervene before shots can be fired.

The first year of the centers' operation, 2019, saw comparable homicide numbers to 2017 in the districts with the centers, but there have only been 43 homicides in these districts in 2020 so far. These results are similar to those in Chicago during its first year of SDSCs.

Scott, a long-time critic of police spending, ensured that over $22 million were cut from police budget increases. Since he has not seen any data on whether the centers are reducing shootings, homicides, or violent crimes, he is unsure whether the program has been successful. Instead, Scott is in favor of a "total reimagining" of policing and a focus on community organizations.

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