PROTECTING OUR COMMUNITIES

Public safety creates the foundation for strong and vibrant communities and is a fundamental responsibility of local government. Keeping our streets and public spaces safe and welcoming requires a comprehensive approach that strengthens the bonds between first responders and the communities they serve, leverages emerging technologies, and addresses the root causes of instability.

Our Challenge

Crime trends in Anne Arundel County are mixed and fluctuate from year to year, according to the county's end-of-year crime data. After increases between 2022 and 2023, homicides, assaults, and shootings declined the following year. However, home invasions, commercial burglaries, and shoplifting increased. Clear long-term trends remain difficult to determine, and the role of law enforcement continues to evolve. Staffing levels and available resources within the police department remain ongoing challenges that the next County Executive will need to address.

Pete Smith's Commitment to Public Safety

As a Marine and cybersecurity professional, Pete has deep respect for those who wear a uniform to keep us safe, and for the chain of command that builds trust, drives efficiency, and delivers results. He also understands how to leverage emerging technology as a force multiplier to achieve objectives effectively.

Above all, Pete knows that law enforcement and community partners can serve as mentors to young people and help set them on a path to success. As a boy, Pete's life changed when a police officer chose guidance and opportunity rather than arrest. That experience shaped his belief that government can provide the structure and resources to help children in similar situations succeed.

As County Executive, Pete Smith's administration will take a comprehensive, holistic approach to improving public safety.

Pete Smith Public Safety Priorities

Pillar 1: Strengthening relationships between law enforcement and communities

The most effective public safety initiatives combine targeted enforcement with prevention and strong community trust. Communities are safer when residents feel they and law enforcement are working toward the same goal. Without that essential trust, even necessary reforms are unlikely to achieve their intended results.

Strategy: Community-based patrol focus

Serious crimes are committed by a relatively small number of individuals and groups, and the Anne Arundel County Police Department must continue to focus on deterrence. Targeted, data-driven patrols—especially short-term, direct engagement by patrol officers in crime-dense neighborhoods—can reduce violent incidents while also increasing visibility and strengthening community confidence.

Strategy: Improved forums for communication and information-sharing

The Anne Arundel County Police Department relies on strong community partnerships to identify needs and stay informed about emerging trends. The county should revitalize its police–community councils and create forums for sharing best practices among communities that might otherwise be isolated. Anne Arundel County should also establish an annual Public Safety Forum in each region of the county, bringing together members of the law enforcement community, including police and the State's Attorney's Office.

The county administration should also convene regular meetings between agency leaders and Organizations such as Moms Demand Action, the Police Accountability Task Force, the NAACP, and other community stakeholders to strengthen communication and ensure accountability.

Pillar 2: Full support for first responders

Strategy: Recruitment and retention to get to full staffing

Public safety begins with staffing. Without enough officers, every other solution becomes more difficult to implement effectively.

For years, the Anne Arundel County Police Department has faced persistent staffing shortages and challenges in recruitment and retention. The department deserves recognition for maintaining focus on its core responsibilities despite these constraints. However, current staffing levels limit the ability to introduce innovative crime-fighting strategies and relationship-building programs.

Fewer than 700 operational officers currently serve more than half a million residents — a figure many agree is unacceptable. Available analysis indicates that full staffing of the Anne Arundel County Police Department should exceed 1,100 sworn officers. As a result, Anne Arundel County is effectively operating with the equivalent of a mid-sized police department serving a large and growing county of more than 600,000 residents.

Anne Arundel County needs a long-term recruitment and retention strategy, not short-term fixes.

Tactics:

Boost recruitment and retention: A Pete Smith administration will develop a multi-year staffing plan to strengthen the police academy pipeline, offer competitive pay, and provide retention incentives.
Support officers' morale and training: A Pete Smith administration will prioritize community policing, mentorship programs, and modern training facilities.
Smart deployment: A Pete Smith administration will use data-driven deployment strategies to focus officers where criminal activity is highest.
Community partnership: A Pete Smith administration will support youth mentorship programs, community centers, and early intervention initiatives that reduce future strain on law enforcement.

Strategy: Support for all public safety agencies and related services

Anne Arundel County needs adequate resources across all public safety agencies, including the fire department, the State's Attorney's office, the corrections department, and the Sheriff's office. Each plays an important role in keeping our communities safe.

There are particular needs in the fire department, where Anne Arundel County recently added career staffing to three volunteer stations to ensure 24/7 service.

However, overall pressure remains. Demand for EMS and fire calls has increased sharply, while staffing, particularly among paramedics and medics, remains strained.

Anne Arundel County should conduct a comprehensive, countywide Fire, EMS, and Public Safety Capacity and Needs Assessment. This assessment should project 5, 10, and 20-year growth scenarios, identify high-demand areas for service calls, map response-time gaps, and guide long-term decisions on staffing levels, station placement, and resource allocation across all agencies.

Strategy: Deploying effective technology

There is no substitute for well-trained, professional, and compassionate law enforcement personnel. However, technology should be deployed strategically to better leverage resources, identify trends, and solve crimes more quickly. Anne Arundel can be at the forefront of technological advances, including the use of automated license plate readers and high-resolution cameras near commercial areas to assist with investigations. Artificial intelligence and machine learning can also be deployed to support reports and analytics, from drafting initial versions of reports to analyzing video and audio from body-worn cameras to identify patterns of escalation and de-escalation during interactions.

Pillar 3: Addressing root causes

Strategy: Addressing neglect and blight

Neglected and blighted properties can become breeding grounds for illegal activity, posing significant health and safety risks while eroding property values. In commercial and undeveloped areas, so-called nuisance violations, such as poor or inoperative lighting, trash, and abandoned vehicles, create similar risks.

The next county administration must adopt a collaborative approach by working through county code enforcement and partnering with law enforcement and community associations to address neglect and blight quickly and effectively. An interagency task force should also be established to ensure that relatively small problems are addressed before they grow into larger concerns.

Strategy: Increased resources for reentry services

Reentry programs help people leaving incarceration successfully transition back into society. When communities invest in these services, the benefits extend beyond the individual returning to include families and neighborhoods as well.

People who receive housing support, job training, mental health care, and mentoring are significantly less likely to reoffend. Lower recidivism leads to fewer crimes, safer neighborhoods, and reduced strain on police and courts. Every dollar invested in reentry often saves multiple dollars in reduced incarceration costs, emergency services, and other criminal justice expenses. For these reasons, the next county administration must prioritize and expand support for reentry services.

Strategy: Increased options for addiction and mental health

Anne Arundel County faces a high volume of calls tied to mental health and substance use. Public safety requires treating these crises as health challenges, not solely as law enforcement problems. The goal is a system in which law enforcement serves as a connector to care, ensuring residents receive help while officers remain focused on public safety.

That means expanding Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) and co-responder models, increasing juvenile mental health placement options and early intervention programs so young people in crisis can be diverted from the justice system, and strengthening overdose follow-up programs, recovery housing, and peer support networks that connect people to treatment and reduce repeat calls for service.

Anne Arundel County's crisis response teams have not expanded at the same pace as the county's population. A Pete Smith administration will ensure these services grow to meet community needs.

Strategy: Mentorship and youth programs

Providing opportunities for young people—including mentorship and expanded after-school and summer programs—helps keep kids engaged in sports, arts, trades, and technology during the hours when mischief is most likely to occur.

Partnerships with local businesses, unions, and nonprofits can build job and apprenticeship pipelines, giving teenagers a real path toward independence. Officers and community mentors can support youth through sports leagues, school engagement, and police youth engagement programs, providing visible role models.

At the same time, the county should invest in safe community spaces—parks, libraries, and recreation centers—that give young people positive alternatives to the street. By combining opportunity, accountability, and mentorship, we can help guide young people toward success.

Strategy: Improved training and selection of School-based Officers

School-based officers are often the first point of contact for young people with law enforcement.

Every child deserves a school where they feel safe, supported, and respected. School-based officers can play an important role, but their mission must be clearly defined, focused on genuine safety, and supported by strong relationships with students and families. Anne Arundel County must ensure our schools remain safe while also preventing children from being unnecessarily drawn into the criminal justice system.

That requires strong training, transparency, and collaboration with the community. The county must prioritize problem-solving, cultural competence, and emotional intelligence, in addition to tactical training. Principals, teachers, and student or parent representatives should also be included in the selection process.

Additionally, the police department should emphasize recruiting school-based officers who reflect the demographics of the student body whenever possible, helping to build trust and credibility.