Baltimore proposes $656 million police budget amid staffing concerns

Baltimore is proposing a $656 million police budget, the largest in more than 10 years, and city leaders now have to show taxpayers what that extra money is buying as violent crime falls and other needs compete for dollars.

Mayor Brandon M. Scott released the city’s preliminary Fiscal Year 2027 budget on April 1, setting the plan at about $4.98 billion and saying it closes a $12 million funding gap. The administration has tied the spending plan to six strategic pillars, including public safety, youth and vulnerable residents, and responsible stewardship of city resources. In practical terms, the police budget is one of the clearest tests of whether City Hall can justify historic spending with measurable results.

The proposed police figure would top Baltimore Police Department funding from FY2026, when the department’s budget was about $614 million. City officials say the higher number is aimed at stabilizing staffing, supporting recruitment, technology, operations and overtime pressures while the department continues to work through vacancies. At a June 4, 2025 budget hearing, Baltimore Police Department officials said the force had 492 sworn vacancies and was about 80% staffed. They also projected roughly 898,000 overtime hours for the year, down from 914,000 the year before.

Council President Zeke Cohen praised the department’s improving efficiency and effectiveness, but warned against “unfettered overtime.” Police Commissioner Richard Worley said recruitment was improving and expected around 150 officers to graduate from training and begin patrol work in 2025. The budget debate now turns on whether those staffing gains will translate into better service in neighborhoods that have long felt the strain of thin coverage and heavy overtime.

The proposal comes as residents have pressed city leaders to think differently about the public-safety dollar. In budget discussions, some asked the city to redirect a proposed $44 million police increase toward housing, homeless services and nonprofit programs. That argument has sharpened because Baltimore’s FY2026 budget already allocated $1.2 billion to public safety overall, including the expansion of the Group Violence Reduction Strategy citywide and a shift of some administrative work from sworn officers to civilian staff.

The Board of Estimates held its FY2027 budget presentation on April 22, and public Taxpayer Night forums in April and May gave residents a chance to weigh in. With homicides and nonfatal shootings falling, the central question is no longer just how much Baltimore spends on police, but whether the city can prove that a record budget delivers safer streets, better staffing and a stronger return for taxpayers.