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Inspector General: MONSEY Sidestep pilot had gaps in data, controls and a juvenile data exposure
Summary
The Office of Inspector General told a Baltimore City Council committee that its review of the mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSEY) found weak contract management, missing case documentation, two suspected fraudulent invoices and a data exposure affecting juvenile records; MONSEY said it has reformed controls and redesigned diversion work with DJS.
The Office of Inspector General told the Public Safety Committee on May 1 that its review of the mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSEY) found multiple oversight gaps in the agency's Sidestep youth diversion pilot and related youth‑serving spending.
Inspector General Isabelle Cummings and Deputy Inspector General Matt Neal said the OIG began investigating Sidestep in June 2025 after complaints and found shortcomings in documentation, data tracking and financial oversight. Neal said the OIG's review showed that MONSEY did not track case-level activities consistently, that the agency failed to provide the OIG with unredacted records after requests, and that two organizations received payments tied to invoices the OIG identified as fraudulent. "This matter has been referred to law enforcement for criminal prosecution," Neal said.
The OIG described the Sidestep pilot as a limited pre‑arrest diversion that ran in the Western Police District from 2022 to 2024 for eligible first‑time, category‑2 offenses. The OIG and the external evaluator disagreed about documentation and access: the evaluator reported not being…
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