Explanation: Capitals indicate matter added to existing law.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
* Warning: This is an unofficial, introductory copy of the bill.
The official copy considered by the City Council is the first reader copy.
Introductory*
City of Baltimore
Council Bill
Introduced by: Councilmembers Burnett, Cohen, and Dorsey
A Bill Entitled
An Ordinance concerning
title
Public Safety Apprenticeship Program - Establishment (The Hometown Heroes Act)
For the purpose of providing for the establishment and implementation of a Public Safety Apprenticeship Program for Baltimore City; providing for the development and oversight of the Program by the Baltimore City Fire Department in partnership with certain other public safety agencies in Baltimore City; establishing the purposes of the Program; and requiring that the Baltimore City Fire Department report annually certain information to the Mayor and City Council and requiring the report to be made available on the Department’s website.
body
By adding
Article 1 - Mayor, City Council, and Municipal Agencies
Section(s) 29A-1 through 29A-5, to be under the new subtitle,
“Public Safety Apprenticeship Program”
Baltimore City Code
(Edition 2000)
Section 1. Be it ordained by the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, That the Laws of Baltimore City read as follows:
Baltimore City Code
Article 1. Mayor, City Council, and Municipal Agencies
Subtitle 29A. Public Safety Apprenticeship Program
§ 29A-1. Definitions.
(a) In general.
In this subtitle, the following terms have the meanings indicated.
(b) Cadet.
“Cadet” means a participant in the Public Safety Apprenticeship Program who:
(1) has been hired into a specialized training program aimed at introducing young adults to public safety careers;
(2) has been a resident of Baltimore City for at least 2 years prior to accepting employment as a cadet; and
(3) is at least 18 but no more than 21 years old.
(c) Department.
“Department” means the Baltimore City Fire Department.
(d) Explorer.
“Explorer” means a participant in the Public Safety Apprenticeship Program who is:
(1) a Baltimore City resident;
(2) enrolled in a public, public charter, private, or parochial school within Baltimore City; and
(3) at least 11 but no more than 18 years old.
(e) Public safety agency.
“Public safety agency” means the following:
(1) Baltimore City Fire Department;
(2) Baltimore City Police Department;
(3) Baltimore City Office of Emergency Management;
(4) Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office; and
(5) Baltimore City School Police.
(f) Public Safety Apprenticeship Program; Program.
“Public Safety Apprenticeship Program” or “Program” means a program for recruiting, mentoring, training, and hiring a new generation of Baltimore City youth and young adults to prepare them for careers in law enforcement, fire suppression, emergency medical services, and emergency management.
(g) Public Safety Cadet Post; Cadet Post.
“Public Safety Cadet Post” or “Cadet Post” means the branch of the Program that engages participants who are at least 18 but no more than 21 years old.
(h) Public Safety Explorer Post; Explorer Post.
“Public Safety Explorer Post” or “Explorer Post” means the branch of the Program that engages participants who are at least 11 but no more than 18 years old.
(I) Public safety internship.
“Public safety internship” means an 8 to 10 week paid summer internship in a Baltimore City public safety agency for participants in the Program who are at least 14 but no more than 18 years old.
§ 29A-2. Program establishment.
(a) In general.
There is a Public Safety Apprenticeship Program in Baltimore City, consisting of:
(1) the Public Safety Explorers Post; and
(2) the Public Safety Cadet Post.
(b) Staffing.
The Program shall be administered by a program coordinator who shall:
(1) be an employee of the Department; and
(2) staff the Program with no less than 6 uniformed personnel who are active members of a public safety agency.
(c) Public Safety Explorers Post.
(1) By July 1, 2023, the Baltimore City Fire Department shall develop and implement a multi-disciplinary local Public Safety Explorers Post in partnership with public safety agencies in Baltimore City.
(2) The goals and objectives of the Explorers Post are to:
(i) expose youth in Baltimore City to public safety careers;
(ii) serve as a local recruitment tool for future men and women in public safety professions;
(iii) build better community relations efforts in Baltimore City between public safety agencies, youth, and the community;
(iv) utilize active personnel within each of Baltimore City’s public safety agencies to serve as recruiters, mentors, and trainers; and
(v) develop programming that builds character, develops leadership skills, and fosters an appreciation for community service and good citizenship.
(3) In order to be eligible to participate in the Explorers Post, an individual shall:
(i) have approval from the individual’s parent or guardian;
(ii) be at least 11 but no more than 18 years old;
(iii) be a Baltimore City resident;
(iv) be a citizen of the United States of America at the time of application;
(v) be enrolled in a Baltimore City-based public, public charter, private, or parochial school;
(vi) at the time of entry into the Program, have and maintain a minimum of a “C” average in school; and
(vii) be able to safely perform the duties of an explorer without posing a threat to the health and safety of themselves or others.
(d) Public safety internship.
(1) In general.
The public safety internship will provide youth who are current participants in the Program with the opportunity to take part in an 8 to 10 week paid summer internship with a public safety agency.
(2) Eligibility.
In order to be eligible for a public safety internship under the Program, an individual shall:
(i) be at least 14 but no more than 18 years old;
(ii) have attended 60% of the Explorers Post activities within the fiscal year immediately preceding the application;
(iii) have approval from the individual’s parent or guardian;
(iv) be a Baltimore City resident;
(v) be a citizen of the United States of America at the time of application;
(vi) be enrolled in a Baltimore City-based public, public charter, private, or parochial school;
(vii) at the time of entry into the Program, have and maintain a minimum of a “C” average in school;
(viii) be able to safely perform the duties of an explorer without posing a threat to the health and safety of themselves or others.
(ix) complete all documentation required by the Department; and
(x) participate in a formal interview process with representatives from public safety agencies.
(3) Curriculum.
The Baltimore City Fire Department, in partnership with other public safety agencies, shall develop and implement a hands-on curriculum of modules that expose public safety internship participants to the various uniformed and non-uniformed career paths within Baltimore City public safety agencies.
(e) Public Safety Cadet Post.
(1) The Public Safety Cadet Post shall provide eligible individuals who are participants in the Program with the opportunity to:
(i) be hired by a public safety agency in the career track of the participant’s choice; and
(ii) receive on-the-job training and skills development for a period of not more than 3 years.
(2) In order to be eligible to participate in the Public Safety Cadet Post, an individual shall:
(i) be at least 18 years old but no more than 21 years old;
(ii) have been a Baltimore City resident and enrolled in a Baltimore City-based public, public charter, private, or parochial school for at least 2 consecutive years prior to applying for a Cadet Post position; and
(iii) meet all of the hiring requirements in accordance with:
(A) the Baltimore City Administrative Manual; and
(B) the rules and regulations governing the public safety agency chosen by the cadet.
(3) (i) The appointing agency shall hire cadets for at least 3 years for full-time, on-the-job training and skills development.
(ii) During that time, the hired cadet:
(A) may not be subject to civil service laws or rules;
(B) may not be entitled to any benefits of civil service laws or rules;
(C) may not be subject or entitled to the benefits of any retirement or pension law, nor may any deduction be made from the cadet’s compensation for that purpose;
(D) may be terminated by the appointing public safety agency at any time;
(E) shall be terminated by the appointing authority if the cadet fails to adhere to the rules and regulations of the Program; and
(F) shall be considered an employee of the City of Baltimore for the purpose of workers’ compensation.
(4) Each fiscal year the Cadet Post shall hire 50 young adults, 25 of whom shall serve in the law enforcement career track and 25 of whom shall serve in the fire and emergency medical services career track. These individuals shall matriculate through the Cadet Post as a cohort, with expansion of available positions in the Cadet Post being dependent on available funds.
(5) Any individual who successfully completes the Public Safety Cadet Post with a public safety agency, in accordance with the Baltimore City Administrative Manual, shall be appointed to fill a vacancy in a uniformed position in the lowest grade of the public safety agency without certification from an eligibility list prepared by the Department of Human Resources or the public safety agency hiring the individual.
(6) Fire Department cadet duties shall include:
(i) completion of all Baltimore City Fire Academy training modules and certifications;
(ii) an academy and field operations training rotation lasting 18 months; and
(iii) all administrative functions that fall into this classification of work as prescribed by the public safety agency chosen by the cadet.
(7) Law enforcement cadet duties shall include:
(i) maintaining and filing records;
(ii) operating office computers and machines;
(iii) answering telephones;
(iv) entering and indexing official documents;
(v) preparing routine reports;
(vi) preparing and tabulating facts and figures for statistical purposes; and
(vii) all other administrative functions that do not require law
enforcement authority.
§ 29A-3. Program Funding.
(a) Public Safety Apprenticeship Program.
Program funding shall be subject to an appropriation of funds in accordance with the City Charter.
(b) Public safety internship.
An appropriate allocation of funds may be provided for miscellaneous costs associated with the public safety internship, including transportation fees for participants.
(c) Emergency medical technician apprentices and firefighter apprentices.
On the successful completion of the Fire Department’s Cadet Training Program and subject to the availability of funds, funds shall be made available to continue to employ 25 emergency medical technician apprentices or firefighter apprentices for up to 2 years, or as vacancies become available in the agency.
§ 29A-4. Compensation.
(a) Public safety internship compensation.
Subject to the availability of funds, on or before July 1, 2023, individuals hired to participate in the 8 to 10 week public safety internship shall be paid no less than $15 per hour, with that compensation being evaluated on a year-to-year basis to be consistent with market rates and program availability.
(b) Public Safety Cadet Post compensation.
Subject to the availability of funds, individuals selected to participate in the Cadet Post shall receive a compensation package that includes :
(1) a salary not to exceed 57% of a Baltimore Police Officer’s entry-level salary; and
(2) all applicable benefits.
§ 29A-5. Annual report.
(a) In general.
(1) On or before June 30 of each year, the Department shall report to the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore the following information regarding the Public Safety Apprenticeship Program:
(i) the number of recruitment and outreach events that the Program hosted and participated in;
(ii) the number of active youth and young adults who participated in at least 60% of the activities hosted by the Explorers Post;
(iii) the curriculum, modules, and other learning materials that were used for programming to build character, develop leadership, and develop an appreciation for community service and good citizenship;
(iv) the number of youth and young adults selected to participate in the public safety internship; and
(v) the number of youth and young adults hired into the Public Safety Cadet Post.
(2) The information required under paragraph (1) of this subsection:
(i) may not include participants’ names; and
(ii) shall be disaggregated by race and gender.
(b) Other reporting requirements.
On or before June 30 of each year, the Department shall report the to the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore the following information from the previous fiscal year:
(1) the total amount of funds that were appropriated to the Public Safety Apprenticeship Program;
(2) the remaining balance of unused funds that were appropriated to the Public Safety Explorers Post;
(3) the administrative, operational, and programming costs associated with the public safety internship;
(4) the administrative, personnel, and training costs associated with the Public Safety Cadet Post; and
(5) the personnel cost to staff the Public Safety Apprenticeship Program with uniformed personnel.
(c) Publication of reports.
On or before June 30 of each year, the Baltimore City Fire Department shall publish copies of the reports described in this section on the Department’s website.
Section 2. And be it further ordained, That this Ordinance takes effect on the 30th day after the date it is enacted.