School Police Cruiser

If you have an emergency, please call 911. School police can be reached at 410-396-8588 or 410-396-8589.

Chief of Police selection process

Baltimore City Public Schools is working to identify a new Chief of the City School Police force. The school system will engage with a variety of stakeholders, including members of the police force, students, staff, families, and community organizations, to outline the traits of a successful candidate.

To aid its work, City Schools has retained the support of Public Sector Search & Consulting. View the job description here. A brochure for the position will be posted here soon. 

The selection process includes a series of focus groups with stakeholders, interviews with district leaders, credential reviews, and background checks. The final hiring decision will be made by the Chief Executive Officer, with a notification to the Board of School Commissioners. 

Two school police officers pose for picture for national night out

We want your feedback!

There is still time to provide input on the School Police Chief search. Please complete this survey, which will be open until Friday, March 15. The information you provide will be used to develop a candidate profile and focus recruitment and screening efforts. https://bit.ly/3IsGEiJ

Anticipated Timeline

 Baltimore City Public Schools will work closely with Public Sector Search and Consulting (PSSC) to identify the next Chief of School Police. PSSC will source, recruit, and vet qualified candidates prior to City Schools initiating an interview process. Due to the unique nature of this position, there will be a greater volume of stakeholder engagement to develop the candidate profile than in typical search and selection processes for other roles at City Schools. 

Stakeholder Engagement

January - February

  1. Engage key stakeholders to understand their experience with School Police and collect their recommendations for what they hope to see in the next Chief of School Police. This is for feedback purposes, to inform the creation of the candiate profile.

  2. Student, School Staff, School Police, and Family and Community Focus Groups 

Candidate Cultivation & Review

March

  1.  Public Sector Search and Consulting will use the information gathered during Stakeholder Engagement to develop a candidate profile. The candidate profile will be used to focus recruitment efforts and screen applicants. 

Interview Process

April - May

  1. Preliminary interview with Public Sector Search and Consulting.
    2. Interviews with district leaders. 

Approval

June

  1. Reference, background, and credential checks.

  2. CEO makes hiring decision, considering stakeholder input.

  3. Board notification.

Baltimore City School Police ensure that students and staff have safe, secure environments for teaching and learning.

In addition to patrolling, responding to calls, and investigating offenses, police officers counsel students, de-escalate conflict, advise school staff on security issues, and provide information to parents. They also work to build relationships and the community at their schools, where they act as mentors, sponsor safety patrols, visit 3rd-grade classrooms with McGruff, the crime-fighting dog to teach about saying no to drugs and gangs, and take small groups of students to "Shop with a Cop" for holiday gifts. From personal relationships founded on trust, school communities grow into supportive, respectful, and positive places where staff and students thrive.

Authority

According to Maryland law, the Baltimore City School Police Force is the primary agency responsible for policing property owned, leased, and operated or controlled by Baltimore City Public Schools, and its school police officers have all the powers of any peace or police officer in the state. They receive the same basic academy training as Baltimore City police officers.

To better serve the City Schools community, the School Police Force has a “concurrent jurisdiction agreement” with the Baltimore Police Department, which gives school police the authority to enforce the law within the limits of the City of Baltimore. This means that, while the School Police Force's primary jurisdiction is school property, as first responders, school police officers have a responsibility to take action when necessary to restore order and can make arrests anywhere within the Baltimore city limits.

Complaints

The Civilian Review Board of Baltimore City is an independent agency where the public can issue a complaint against officers of various law enforcement units.

Youth and School Police Complaints
Learn more about the process

General orders

General Orders approved by the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners on June 12, 2018, with additional revisions to certain General Orders approved on September 27, 2022.

The following items represent the published directives and expectations for the Baltimore City School Police. Adapted from multiple sources, they are focused and designed to ensure integrity and professionalism from all personnel within the department. (All links open PDF documents.)