Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said Wednesday she's skeptical of proposals from some in the General Assembly to disband the city schools police force, because such a move would stretch the budget for the Baltimore Police Department too thin.
Salaries for schools police cost the city school system -- which is largely funded by state government -- around $9 million annually. Some in the General Assembly, including State Sen. Bill Ferguson, a Baltimore Democrat, have suggested using that money in the classrooms. That would mean policing duties for the schools would fall to Baltimore's police force, which is largely funded by the city.
Rawlings-Blake said she had not received details of such suggestions, but cautioned against any proposals that would take away from city resources for policing.
"I don't know where that funding source would come from," Rawlings-Blake said. "You can't play fast and loose with the budget like that. ... That type of budgetary increase for the police department was not contemplated as we developed next year's budget."
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