The East Baltimore Safe Streets Program was suspended after two employees were arrested for robbery.
Investigators found drugs and seven guns stashed at the East Baltimore office.
The Baltimore Sun reported:
City officials have suspended operations of the Safe Streets anti-violence program in East Baltimore after police officers found seven guns and drugs stashed inside the Monument Street office.
Police said a robbery investigation led them to the office, and two employees were among those arrested. The suspension sidelines the program’s work in East Baltimore at a time when gun violence has been spiking.
Safe Streets, a grant-funded program under the city’s Health Department, uses ex-felons in an effort to stem crime. The program has been lauded for keeping violence at a minimum in the four neighborhoods where it operates, and some officials have urged its replication across the city.
The program has had trouble in the past, with offices previously suspended in 2010 and 2013 amid criminal allegations against employees. It has also faced criticism over its recruiting practices.
There are 7 confiscated hand guns on the table at this joint police, health department presser. Waiting for context. pic.twitter.com/kXjsdrMKAi
— Kevin Rector (@RectorSun) July 14, 2015