City of Refuge to Lead Violence Interruption Program in Brooklyn Park

The Anne Arundel County Department of Health has partnered with City of Refuge Baltimore to launch a Violence Interruption Program specifically targeting the Brooklyn Park community. Announced on October 28, 2026, the initiative shifts the local approach to gun violence from a strictly criminal justice framework to a public health model, treating violence as a contagious disease that can be interrupted through community-led intervention.

This move signals a significant pivot for Northern Anne Arundel County. Rather than relying solely on reactive policing, the county is investing in “interrupters”—individuals who can mediate conflicts in real-time before they escalate into shootings. For the residents of Brooklyn Park, this means a shift in who arrives first on the scene of a neighborhood dispute: not necessarily a patrol car, but a trained community worker.

The Cure Violence Model in Brooklyn Park

City of Refuge Baltimore was selected as the lead organization after a multi-month procurement process conducted by the county. The organization will implement the Cure Violence Global model, a strategy that treats violence as an epidemiological phenomenon. By identifying high-risk individuals and changing the social norms that make violence acceptable, the program aims to break the cycle of retaliation.

The logic is straightforward: if violence spreads like a virus, you stop it by vaccinating the community against it. This involves deploying outreach workers who have the trust and “street credibility” to enter volatile situations and steer participants toward social services rather than conflict.

“Violence is not just a crime issue; it is a public health crisis that demands a proactive response,” said Anne Arundel County Health Officer Dr. Tonii Gedin. “This partnership allows us to treat violence at its root, heal our neighborhoods and give the people of Brooklyn Park the safe, thriving community they deserve.”

The stakes here are more than just statistical.

County Hires Mediators and Managers to Stop Violence

The program is moving immediately into the implementation phase. The county and City of Refuge are currently establishing the operational backbone of the initiative, which includes a rigorous hiring process to ensure the team is composed of people who can actually influence the target demographics.

The hiring pipeline will focus on four primary roles:

Program Manager: Overseeing the strategic direction and county reporting.
Supervisor: Managing day-to-day field operations.
Interrupters: The front-line mediators who engage high-risk individuals to stop imminent violence.
Outreach Workers: Staff dedicated to connecting at-risk residents with social services and support systems.

Once these roles are filled and the team is onboarded, the program will begin active community implementation. The county has mandated regular reporting on performance metrics to ensure the public health approach is yielding measurable reductions in violence.

The Tension Between Public Health and Policing

“Working with our neighbors, partners and local government, we will work to cure violence before it starts and build a safer northern Anne Arundel County,” said Billy Humphrey, Founder and CEO of City of Refuge. “Together, we will bring hope to life.”

If the program can successfully reduce violence in Brooklyn Park, it may serve as a model for other areas within Anne Arundel County.