How to Improve City/Police Response

Police Responsiveness:

• When first calling in an incident, determine if it requires immediate action, or police follow-up. For immediate action incidents (such as an assault, robbery or any threat to safety issue) you should dial 911. For police follow-up incidents (such as a public nuisance issue, reporting a vandal after the fact, or obtaining a police report for insurance purposes), dial the Baltimore City One Call Center at 311. See "City Responsiveness" for tips on utilizing the City's One Call Center (311).
• If there is an immediate need for a response be clear about that with the 911 dispatch operator. Any threats to safety should be reported at the time of the call. If an officer does not respond quickly, continue to call 911 until you get a response.
• When interacting with police, don't assume that the details of your 911 call have been communicated clearly to the responding officer. Detail the circumstances carefully, and reiterate any threat to safety concerns clearly. Be calm.
• If the officer has not offered an incident report and you would like one, ask for it.
• Get the name of the responding officer. If you plan on following up with that officer later, say so and inquire as to his/her schedule and contact information so that they are clear about that fact. Follow up as planned if you don't hear back from the officer first.
• If you are not personally interacting with a Police Officer, but wish to reference him/her later, write down their "Shop Number", which is the series of numbers on the side of their police car.
• Finally, if you feel you have not received proper responsiveness, there are avenues to complain. Email Melvin Penn at Melvin.Penn@BaltimorePolice.org, and cc Michael Kundrat at michael.kundrat@baltimorepolice.org. Please only direct complaints about specific officers to Melvin. Stick to the facts and address him calmly.

City Responsiveness

• Issues pertaining to city services and non-emergency police issues should get called in to Baltimore City's One Call Center by dialing 311. Trash Dumping Issues, Illegally Parked or Abandoned Cars, and Concerns with Abandoned or Dilapidated Buildings are just some of the issues that the One Call Center can facilitate.
• When reporting through the One Call Center be sure to provide as much relevant detail as possible to the operator; providing exact addresses, how long the problem has been going on, names of people involved, etc. Voicing any public safety concerns you might have is particularly important
• Be sure to get a confirmation number and a estimated turnaround time from the call dispatcher. Write down both and keep it in a safe place. If the incident has received no response by the estimated turnaround time, call the One Center again, and ask them for feedback on your case number.
• If you cannot get a satisfactory resolution to your issue through the City One Call Center, you can direct a complaint to Emily Ellickson-Brown, the Mayor's Neighborhood Liaison for the Southeast District at emily.ellickson-brown@baltimorecity.gov.