An amendment to the charter on local control of the city’s police department will be put before Baltimore voters in November.

On Monday, in their last meeting of 2023, the Baltimore City Council voted to approve a charter amendment put forth by Councilman Mark Conway (D-4) that enshrines major aspects of the responsibilities, structure, and role of the police department into the city’s charter– that will be on the ballot during the next general election. That process was done in conjunction with recommendations from the Local Control Advisory Board. All members of the council voted in favor with the exception of Councilmember James Torrence (D-7), who was absent.

During a series of public hearings and meetings, the council heard testimony on the proposed amendment with residents encouraging council members to pass the legislation.

One of the changes the council accepted on Monday was put forth byCouncilmember Ryan Dorsey (D-3). It removes redundant language granting officers qualified immunity, which protects them from most lawsuits. A protection, Dorsey notes, is already in state law.

It is something that he says he and others have fought back against. “I think we need to hold them [police officers] to a high enough standard that they shouldn’t have protections that don’t exist for other people,” said Dorsey.

Residents will weigh-in on that amendment at the polls in 2024. It would be the latest, and what the city council hopes is the near-last, step in the ongoing saga for local control. In 2022, residents overwhelmingly voted in favor of local control– something Baltimore has not had since before the Civil War when state lawmakers decided to appropriate control after a violent election season marked by street fights and riots ended in the deaths of numerous city residents. Several attempts by the city to regain that control over the last century have been unsuccessful.

Conway hopes that by passing this amendment, along with another related bill which also passed on Monday, the General Assembly will have faith to remove all “limiting language” from the state constitution that prevents the city from having full authority over its police. In 2024, Conway explains the city will have to lobby lawmakers in Annapolis to do so.

“This is actually a pretty boring and straightforward and obvious structure for the police department. We were trying to avoid as many of the landmines as possible,” said Conway about his legislation.

The charter amendment can be read here.