Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, July 31, 2015

Time and again, I have been clear that Baltimore can only become a safer city if the community and police work hand in hand to rid our streets of violence.
Last year we held a series of public safety forums in each of Baltimore City’s police districts to speak honestly and directly with citizens so they could share what they were seeing and experiencing in their communities. These conversations were well received, with over 2,000 residents attending the various forums. More importantly, their input directly impacted our efforts to improve policing in our city. 
What we heard was that while residents wanted safer streets, they also wanted better treatment from law enforcement. It was because of the input we received during these forums that Baltimore is now on track to bring body cameras to police, and why we now post online information about settlements of police misconduct lawsuits, an additional boost in my administration’s efforts to increase transparency.
But as the violence on our streets continues, we must continue to act.  
Earlier this week, Interim Police Commissioner Kevin Davis and I hosted the first of our next round of public safety forums. We are eager to get back into each police district to talk about our efforts to reduce violent crime and to hear more  from residents about what they believe is needed to improve safety in their communities. These forums will help us continue building the relationships that will help us become a safer city. I hope you will join us at our second Public Safety Forum on Wednesday, August 5, at 7 p.m. at the John Eager Howard Recreation Center, 2100 Brookfield Avenue.
Our success in the crime fight hinges on our ability to work together. Only together can we mend relations between our police officers and those to whom they have sworn an oath to protect. Only together can we make Baltimore City safer.
This originally appeared in the Rawlings-Blake Review. If you do not receive the Mayor's weekly newsletter, subscribe here.