Alsobrooks Aims To Shift Police Money To Fund Medical Facility

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks plans to send enabling legislation to the County Council that would shift $20 million from the police department's budget toward the construction of a health facility to treat mental health and addiction. If approved, the measure would add the facility to bond legislation Prince Georgians would already be voting on in the Nov. 3 election.

"What we know is that 70% of the people who are arrested in Prince George’s County arrive to our Department of Corrections intoxicated, and a third of the individuals who come through our jail are suffering from a mental health issue," Alsobrooks said, in an email to county residents. "It’s wrong to treat mentally ill and addicted people in jail, and we must preserve the dignity of these individuals. For this reason, I am realigning resources to ensure a vulnerable population of our community has access to the help they need from medical professionals and not police officers who are not equipped to deal with that population."

ICYMI: Yesterday I announced that I will send legislation to the Council to realign $20 million from the Police Department’s capital budget earmarked for a public safety training facility to build a health facility to address mental health and addiction.https://t.co/4VPctubadt
— County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (@CEXAlsobrooks) June 17, 2020

The new facility would allow qualified medical staff to treat individuals suffering with addition and mental health issues, rather than having police officers deal with individuals in crisis.

"I believe we have to address injustices in policing in our communities, but I also believe that if we only focus on policing, we will have missed an opportunity for meaningful change," Alsobrooks said, in the letter. "I believe this moment in history also requires us to look at the social injustices that have harmed the African American community for centuries, like disparities in healthcare and education, and work toward reform in those areas as well."

In addition, the county executive will be establishing a workgroup made up of stakeholders, thought leaders and organizers to review policies and practices of the Prince George's County Police Department.