Montgomery County agencies will convene Tuesday for an internal meeting to address youth violence.
During a media briefing Monday, County Council President Gabe Albornoz assured that the purpose of the initial meeting is to check-in on the coordination of executive branch agencies and sister county agencies that are already planning services for youth. He was confident there will be public sessions in the future.
“With the rise in youth crime and in youth violence that we’ve seen these last several months — before school’s even let out. There is deep concern that that could be even higher during the summer months, which is when they tend to be higher anyways,” he said. Officials aim to get a better understanding of where the county stands programmatically.
“We will analyze where there may be gaps in that programming, after the meeting that will occur shortly, and then be in a better position to know where we need to fill those gaps,” Albornoz said.
Officials discussed violence and mental health issues during a media briefing with County Executive Marc Elrich last week. Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Dr. Earl Stoddard said the county will have a series of meetings internally to discuss how to bolster efforts.
Key stakeholders involved in Tuesday’s meeting include Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), law enforcement and the county’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
