Letter To The Editor From Dovid Cohen Re Baltimore Police Department Training Facility

By Dovid Cohen
Posted on 09/23/19

Baltimore Police Department (BPD) trainees jogging in unison throughout our neighborhoods gives me a sense of safety, security and pride in my City. Unfortunately, this site that we have become accustomed to may all come to an end if the City has its way. The Department of Justice Consent Decree requires improved BPD training and training facilities. It is true that the professionalism and culture of the BPD starts with the proper training of its recruits, but most in our communities do not know that to comply with the Consent Order’s directive the City is looking at moving the training facility from the corner of Park Heights and Northern Parkway to the University of Baltimore’s now vacant old law school building downtown. This proposed plan will not be free and will cost the citizens of Baltimore millions of dollars.

Why invest in someone else’s real estate when the City has so many unused or unrenovated assets in its real estate portfolio? As a community that receives so little by way of public safety resources compared to the entire city, the current building should be renovated to keep the BPD training facility as a focal point of our neighborhoods. Having trainees and specialized divisions coming and going through our communities adds a layer of safety that will be removed should the training facility ultimately close. Investing in a rental property makes absolutely no sense when we have such a large and practical location already available to renovate.

We need to let the Mayor know that we will not just sit back and let an important community institution be closed. The renovation and retention of the current location makes both fiscal and safety common sense. Let the Mayor know that it means a lot to you and our communities to keep the training facility where it is. Renovate the building, give the recruits the proper tools to succeed, but do it by investing in Baltimore City and not by fixing up someone else’s building. To let Mayor Jack Young know how you feel, call or e-mail the Mayor at Mayor@baltimorecity.gov  410-396-4900
Share this information with your friends and neighbors so they can contact the Mayor as well. 
Let’s keep the safety, security and pride of the BPD as part of our communities’ landscapes.