Police budget discussion highlights $700,000 earmark for clinical social workers, commission forms informal budget subcommittee

Montgomery County Police and commissioners on March 3 discussed a pilot program to embed licensed clinical social workers with Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) responses and identified a $700,000 congressional earmark intended to fund those hires.

Captain Jordan Satinsky said the department converted an existing position into a first‑line supervisory sergeant to manage CIT and the incoming clinical hires, and that the $700,000 earmark from Congress is available to hire licensed clinical social workers to respond alongside CIT officers. “We had a position number...we changed that...into a basically sergeant's level supervisory position,” Satinsky said. He said the county will evaluate the pilot and may seek full‑time equivalents in a future FY26 or FY27 budget if the model proves effective.

Budget staff told commissioners the earmark is accessible and that the program would be funded through justice assistance funding administered by the Department of Justice (JAG/JAA) rather than appearing as a current line item in the police operating budget. Commissioners asked whether the funds are subject to any freeze; staff answered that the department has access to the full amount as of the meeting.

Officials said metrics for the pilot are not yet public. Satinsky and health partners (including Dr. Bridgers and Miss Martin of Health and Human Services) said they are working to define appropriate performance measures and hoped to make results transparent once established. “We're really in a pilot stage trying to figure out what works and what doesn't,” Satinsky said; commissioners requested to be looped into metric design and evaluation.

The discussion also included broader budget items: the chief has signaled a focus on technology to mitigate sworn staffing shortfalls, the department’s authorized sworn complement is about 1,281 officers with an estimated shortfall of roughly 200, and officials noted a possible wave of retirements (the department estimated up to 50 retirements tied to a pension multiplier change).

Commissioners volunteered an informal subcommittee to review the police budget line items and acronyms, and to prepare any recommendations for the council. Volunteers named during the meeting included commissioners John, Francisco, Terry and Sunny; Sherry agreed to serve as a consultant resource and Captain Kathy Estrada agreed to act as the department liaison to management and budget staff. The subcommittee will operate informally; no formal commission vote was taken.