Baltimore prosecutor cuts direct ties with MONSE, declines funding for GVRS
Baltimore City State's Attorney Ivan Bates informed Mayor Brandon Scott’s office that his office will no longer directly coordinate with the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, citing concerns about secrecy and victims' rights. The move rejects an $80,000 allocation to the city Group Violence Reduction Strategy, prompting a mayoral pledge to engage Bates directly while the city stresses continued commitment to partnerships credited with reducing violence.
On December 2, 2025, State's Attorney Ivan Bates sent a formal letter to the mayor's office announcing that his office would stop direct coordination with the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, which oversees the Group Violence Reduction Strategy. In the letter Bates accused MONSE of operating under a "cloak of secrecy" and said it has "disregarded victims' rights." He also declined to accept $80,000 that MONSE had allocated for GVRS work.
The mayor's office responded with a written statement saying it would "engage Bates directly" and emphasizing the city’s "continued commitment to partnerships that have helped drive recent declines in violence." City statistics show fewer homicides and fewer nonfatal shootings in 2025 compared with the prior year, a trend local officials have credited in part to collaborative strategies involving law enforcement, prosecutors, and community groups.
The rupture risks disrupting the day to day coordination that underpins referrals, case preparation, and services for victims who are central to prosecution and prevention efforts. GVRS is a cross agency approach that links outreach, social services, and targeted enforcement to steer those at highest risk away from violence. By refusing coordination and returning funds, the State's Attorney is signaling a breakdown in trust that could complicate information sharing and joint initiatives that stakeholders say contributed to the recent year over year declines in violence.
For Baltimore residents the dispute matters because it touches on how cases are built, how victims receive notifications and support, and how community interventions are prioritized. If MONSE and the State's Attorney cannot reconcile operational roles, neighborhood programs that rely on synchronized referrals and funding could face delays. Officials in both offices will now navigate a political and legal test of whether partnership models can be preserved even as leaders spar over transparency and victims' advocacy.
The mayor's office indicated it would pursue direct engagement with Bates as the next step. How quickly that outreach proceeds, and whether it restores full cooperation, will determine whether the city sustains the collaborative approach credited with recent reductions in homicide and nonfatal shootings.
