[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6670830,"mediaKeyId","2171905-7259c9a0b34ccd6161248a7971d55075","parentId",2171905,"title","Fire and Police chiefs report falling violent‑crime metrics, rising call volume and staffing needs; committee adopts contraband‑disposal ordinance","audioSeconds",2485,"startMs",4715000,"endMs",7200000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2171905-7259c9a0b34ccd6161248a7971d55075&start=4715&end=7200","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2171905-7259c9a0b34ccd6161248a7971d55075/thumbnail_4715000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6670830/Annapolis/Anne-Arundel-County/Maryland/Fire-and-Police-chiefs-report-falling-violentcrime-metrics-rising-call-volume-and-staffing-needs-committee-adopts-contrabanddisposal-ordinance","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6670830-582efd975e0a659237557512d5599cf3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771158522&Signature=BggfOGo1Jwa1hZwmWWG313lCzfjosqG0WuLFI8Ns0qp1wX1-14r0yv9oMJdizpWuixE9CQ4QBLEUi3YZHz~DlEbGAFX8HJ1hIimhR~96XRcjwjYOU7~aHE5bnuxq2bxYLf1Zolp~hfHH7zHwINQb0rQitpgJ6G9BejOI8ubBks60S0I8GxYT4D4Kn1wZLDwsCdiR8C~vJYhA-mbAEz68s05uEk1VYz3nmiK7OI2YYDbLP0lq-v0vzfFX9Ivhjg3-K9penykR79i7bYRcVcBINBgXNVlHBRLjwulgbCW5atXk4XQIuvjwTVUQF5mnhH3D7ZbiCtns0q1u-bPOIWGm5g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Annapolis, MD","date","2025-01-31T03:17:08.737Z","article","Fire and police leaders told the Public Safety Committee that they plan strategic staffing and operational investments after a year of high call volume and several notable public‑safety successes.

Fire department: Deputy and line chiefs said the department responded to 13,626 calls for service in 2024, roughly 500 more than 2023, and that emergency medical services account for about three‑quarters of the work. Fire officials said that, despite rising call volume, 2024 fire loss in dollar valuation was markedly lower than prior years and that the department recorded no civilian fire injuries or deaths. Chief Doug Romali and Deputy Chief Matthew Lopez described operational challenges tied to narrow colonial streets in the historic district and urged attention to the sprinkler ordinance the council passed (reference to a 2022 ordinance requiring sprinklers on Main and Francis within a multi‑year compliance window).

Lopez said the department is producing a new strategic plan with the Center for Public Safety Excellence model and expects a draft for the chief’s review by September 2025. The fire department also said it has requested funding for IT and reporting support to manage newer software platforms and to relieve uniform personnel of time‑consuming technology administration.

Police department: The police presentation covered staffing, accreditation work, crime trends and new programs. The department said it expects to add two command staff hires soon and reported active planning on CALEA accreditation compliance; staff said they hosted an on‑site CALEA assessor and hope to have credentials presented at the national conference in August.

A University of Maryland workload study requested by the city was delivered to the department in final form the week before the meeting; the chief said staff are still reviewing the roughly 60‑page report and intend to present recommendations to the council after internal review. The department also described a juvenile diversion program (JOINs) and a range of community outreach efforts that include the Powell program (youth/family activities), \"Coffee with the Cops\" and a recent expansion of crossing‑guard coverage.

Crime trends and enforcement: Police leaders said overall violent‑crime metrics dropped in 2024 compared with 2023. The department reported three homicides in 2024, explained that one homicide found in Annapolis had origins in Baltimore City, and said shots‑fired reports and contact shootings declined from the prior year. Officers also described enforcement initiatives and federal partnerships to pursue prohibited persons who possess firearms; the chief said the department pursues federal adoption of qualifying firearm cases when appropriate.

Cameras and technology: The police commander described ongoing work to upgrade camera infrastructure and to link private cameras into cooperative, real‑time centers (county pilot programs were mentioned). Staff said the city IT department currently holds the camera budget but the police department coordinates placement and operational needs.

Gun turn‑in and seized items: The department described two voluntary gun turn‑in events in 2024 that yielded 69 firearms and several thousand rounds of ammunition; staff said most surrendered firearms are destroyed unless they must be preserved for evidentiary purposes.

Vote: The committee adopted ordinance O‑28‑24 (property/contraband disposal) with an amendment; the motion passed by voice vote with no recorded opposition.

Ending: Chiefs asked council support for targeted technology, grant‑management capacity and staffing to implement recommendations from the workload study. Police leaders said a forthcoming briefing will present the study's staffing recommendations and cost implications.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Public Safety Committee January 30, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Fire and police department leaders briefed the Public Safety Committee on 2024 call volumes, reductions in shootings and homicide, staffing challenges, the sprinkler ordinance timeline for the historic district and a police workload study. The committee approved O‑28‑24 (property/contraband disposal) with an amendment.","taxTitle","Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, Maryland","taxId",59348,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6670834,"Emergency Management: overdose counts, warming‑center use and record nuisance flooding highlighted",1544,3036000,4580000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2171905-7259c9a0b34ccd6161248a7971d55075&start=3036&end=4580","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2171905-7259c9a0b34ccd6161248a7971d55075/thumbnail_3036000.jpg","/articles/6670834/Annapolis/Anne-Arundel-County/Maryland/Emergency-Management-overdose-counts-warmingcenter-use-and-record-nuisance-flooding-highlighted","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6670834-bb3edfec6865fe57fbcee27b3188441a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771158522&Signature=ZTkuXEoNBDxqR5ciIHMtKqDD8qQ-6dVrETCZ~fc1WFRZTfas5e7Vy~aoC50a5ZwfwpInkIjfpKPFAFHEEN14ZyNfOFpC0WUgjM-B~E9q5ti-zk5ux6ylC-rCZscLw6MK5gomR8pgFKaT52sK6Kn2O2ozK6UEEZ2kRxe7jXLjU2WJpEtkewP4rgw43xe9blUVPmEOUe9FRu-upbzhNSLKow0J7QVpy3PXrfYujAvdnJ2E-5IjXdmnwQowwvPrFYLshQm~3wN3nR7tFfRsUBPjxV9YLFpyvGh7dz1~NdsyBfSl62zSiIzVRfJoeU~WeL7kYfUhp682aUo8OiHE5rfk3w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kevin Simmons, the city's emergency manager, presented a Ward‑by‑ward summary of overdose data and described the city's winter shelter and warming‑center response, as well as new flooding trends the city faces.

Overdose trends: Simmons reported that in Ward 1 the city recorded seven overdoses in 2024 and that \"all of them received Narcan,\" a milestone he said the city had not seen before. Citywide, the Office of Emergency Management reported roughly 80 overdoses in 2024 with fatal overdoses down from the prior year; Simmons and committee members discussed demographic breakdowns (age and race) and uneven fatality rates by ward. Simmons said outreach and harm‑reduction efforts — including Narcan distribution, test strips and a harm‑reduction vending machine in Eastport — are helping lower fatalities and that the city coordinates with the fire department, APD and county partners on opioid intervention.

Funding and coordination: Committee members reviewed how programs have been funded in recent years. Simmons and other staff said the city receives a recurring $35,000 grant from the county health department; opioid‑restitution funds have been used to support the mayor's NAMM program and other interventions. During discussion Alderman Gay cited an opioid restitution fund balance figure referenced during the meeting: $126,195.13 as of a county report dated Dec. 30, 2024; Simmons said staff would follow up with a precise accounting and that the city has used multiple funding sources and grants in recent years.

Warming centers and unhoused services: Simmons described the Stanton Center winter activations and a coordinated daytime bus‑transport arrangement with the Lighthouse shelter that provides shower, laundry and daytime services; he said the city has activated warming centers 63 times since November and recorded more than 1,000 individual patron entries during the season. The office said most patrons are male and most identify as Annapolis residents when they sign in, and staff said they call crisis response when families or minors arrive.

Flooding and long‑term risk: Simmons told the committee that 2024 produced two of the city's top‑10 recorded floods (5.1 feet and 4.4 feet above normal) and that NOAA data show Annapolis has experienced one of the largest increases in nuisance flooding among the locations the agency studied. He said that if no action is taken, the city may face daily record flooding events by 2050 and that by 2055 economic losses could be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Committee members referenced the City Dock project as a mitigation measure that will raise portions of downtown and reduce certain exposures.

Ending: Staff said they will follow up with more detailed budgets for opioid‑intervention programs, provide updated overdose and case‑level data when available, and return with additional information on warming‑center costs and flood‑risk economic estimates.","Office of Emergency Management briefed the committee on overdose trends by ward, warming‑center activations for unhoused residents during winter weather and a record rise in nuisance flooding; officials said overdose reversals and harm‑reduction work remain central while climate-driven flooding poses growing infrastructure and budget risks.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6670839,"Mayor's office outlines 'Uplift Annapolis' community outreach and violence-prevention programs",2935,112000,3047000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2171905-7259c9a0b34ccd6161248a7971d55075&start=112&end=3047","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2171905-7259c9a0b34ccd6161248a7971d55075/thumbnail_112000.jpg","/articles/6670839/Annapolis/Anne-Arundel-County/Maryland/Mayors-office-outlines-Uplift-Annapolis-community-outreach-and-violence-prevention-programs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6670839-c72180f9b76031c552d0025567b5a663/orig.mp4?Expires=1771158522&Signature=V6d5TWYktC3yg~f0Jy~dslT4-L90V~v-JfE9bCJjg8m-HEyP-44dnZVghyCNka-ODVQQe9kpp6sulHUMIvUFmurBqMQsFuVKE~HJduC~SZWSdqUoqwvNwg9ErIp3i75BCjB~amcbDQA9zmnfpHFV71x04r1okN7ozu9388Aoh7Hv52f99zf50MPgr5rv1FHC-~7usVNUXjbX~8CCYabbiSRCctBJNRrVw45fOMozFzgnKNYXVivi0ecs2uaj4N~3Ur-Mu3TCLrCimANSJoNkmMfAXO8mQ5no49P755nyl-n9io2P5ADXqJzcrgPHWuVEUrl0H5A0JIyR5jAAMD1djA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The mayor's office on Tuesday presented an overview of Uplift Annapolis, the umbrella name for several community outreach and public-safety–oriented programs that the office said are intended to \"uplift residents who have not always had a voice or opportunity to participate,\" Chief of Staff Kate Pettit said.

The presentation described three primary program strands: No Harm (community violence prevention), NAMM (a substance-abuse prevention program focused on African American residents), and Annapolis United (a citywide partnership with the fire department, police, Office of Emergency Management and community partners). Datola \"Tola\" Ajayi, the mayor's African American liaison specialist, said many initiatives target youth in neighborhoods the city identified as higher-need, including Robinwood.

Why it matters: City staff said these interventions are meant to reduce exposure to violence, connect at-risk youth with education and career pathways, and link residents to substance-use resources. Officials told the committee they are still building the data systems needed to measure individual outcomes and asked the committee to consider budget support for case-management software and program staffing.

Officials and partners described a set of active and upcoming efforts. The Options program — described as targeting at-risk teens with education, job-skills and mentoring opportunities — was developed after earlier community violence prevention work and program evaluations. Ajayi explained the Options acronym as \"opportunities, possibilities, technology, innovation, organization, networking.\" Programs already active or scheduled to start include an Annapolis School outreach cluster, a community pop-up resource tour that staff said reached more than 1,500 residents in 2024, a youth leadership cohort, a Naptown CEO Academy makerspace and a career/college exploration tour of local colleges and businesses.

On substance-abuse outreach, the mayor's office said NAMM provides on-site resource days at the Robinwood Resource Center, distributes Narcan and fentanyl- and xylazine-test strips, and offers assistance completing applications for services. Officials said the outreach coordinator Tianna Hayes fields strong demand for test strips and harm-reduction materials and coordinates with the county and the Office of Emergency Management's opioid-intervention work.

Funding and tracking: The presenters said they are building a participant tracking database (currently a spreadsheet) and are evaluating case-management software options; they asked the committee to consider those needs during the upcoming budget cycle. Committee members pressed for regular program reports; the mayor's office said it will return with periodic updates and more detailed data in advance of the budget.

Several aldermen asked about program evaluation and police collaboration. Ajayi said the Options program currently tracks attendance at trips and activities and conducts follow-up surveys; she said the administration is working toward a diversion partnership with the police department for youth already involved with the justice system but that some case-level follow-up requires confidentiality agreements.

Officials briefed the committee on a small neighborhood leadership micro-grant (described as $500 awards) intended to support community beautification and morale-building events, and on a proposed mural for the Robinwood court that would require resurfacing the court and securing arts or county funding. The city indicated it would have estimated costs by February and planned to apply to city arts funding (AIPPC) and county sources.

Ending: The mayor's office asked the committee to consider additional budget support for a full-time outreach position and for software to track individual-level outcomes; the committee asked that staff return with progress reports and budget detail before the spring budget submission.","City staff presented the expanded Uplift Annapolis umbrella of programs — including No Harm (violence prevention), NAMM (opioid/substance outreach), Annapolis United pop-ups, Options youth programming and a career/college exploration series — and described early tracking efforts and funding needs ahead of the spring budget.","actionData","errors"]

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Fire and Police chiefs report falling violent‑crime metrics, rising call volume and staffing needs; committee adopts contraband‑disposal ordinance

Emergency Management: overdose counts, warming‑center use and record nuisance flooding highlighted

Mayor's office outlines 'Uplift Annapolis' community outreach and violence-prevention programs