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Council members press for budgeted domestic‑violence programs, oversight and a task force
Summary
County council members and panelists discussed moving domestic‑violence work out of siloed grant dependence toward dedicated budget lines and oversight. Officials proposed a monthly multi‑agency domestic‑violence task force to improve outcomes and hot‑handoffs to services.
Council members pressed panelists on whether Prince George's County is allocating permanent budget resources for domestic‑violence services or relying on competitive grants. Dr. Matthew Levy, the county health officer, said many domestic‑violence programs are run through the Department of Family Services rather than the health department and that some neighboring jurisdictions place Family Justice Center funding as a budget line item.
"The vast majority of our domestic violence programs in the county are through the Department of Family Services, not through the health department," Levy said, adding that the county should evaluate outcomes and consider budgeted resources to show sustained priority. Council members and law‑enforcement leaders repeatedly urged that money be tied to measurable deliverables so the county can determine which programs produce results.
Chief Malik Aziz and Sheriff John Carr recommended a coordinated task force. Chief Aziz suggested "forming a domestic violence task force where we meet once a month and all of our partners in the room" to improve coordination among police, prosecutors, courts and service providers. The council requested follow‑up from staff on budget comparisons and program evaluations.
