A court docket that’s part of Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates’ campaign promise to resume the prosecution of low-level, nonviolent crimes will only be held one time per month in 2025 because police are writing so few citations.

Right now, the citation docket is held on the third week of every month. The court proceedings take place on Monday at Eastside District Court on East North Avenue; Tuesday at the John R. Hargrove Sr. District Court Building; and Wednesday at the Edward F. Borgerding Court Building on Wabash Avenue.

Starting in February 2025, the citation docket will only be held at the Edward F. Borgerding Court Building on the third Wednesday of every month. That’s because the building has the best access to public transportation.

In a statement, James Bentley, a spokesperson for the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office, wrote that it was important to note that the Baltimore Police are the “primary contributors” to the citation docket — but prosecutors do not control their operations.

Bentley said the office has proactively collaborated with the courts to “ensure this initiative would be equitable and accessible to all residents.”

“The Court recognized the significant potential of the Citation Docket and agreed to allocate resources for the operation of three dockets,” Bentley said. “However, it is clear from the data that the numbers simply do not support a need for three dockets.”

The state’s attorney’s office and the courts, he said, jointly made the decision based on the number of citations being issued.

Law enforcement wrote 721 citations that appeared on the citation docket from July 2023 through November 2024, according to data from the state’s attorney’s office. That’s an average of less than two per day.

The Comptroller of Maryland’s Field Enforcement Bureau wrote the most citations: 148. Meanwhile, Baltimore Police issued 146 citations that made it to court, the data reveals.

When Bates, a Democrat, took office in 2023, he immediately rescinded a policy from his predecessor, Marilyn Mosby, to not prosecute crimes including trespassing, loitering and disorderly conduct.

“Effective right now, this moment and second, I recall that policy,” Bates said to applause at the Baltimore War Memorial.

Several months later, Bates announced the creation of the citation docket, which he asserted would hold people accountable while also offering them social services. People who qualify are offered the opportunity to perform community service in exchange for the dismissal of their case.

A Baltimore Banner data analysis later found that police were not writing many citations — and an even smaller number made it to court.

Bates publicly feuded with Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and endorsed his challenger in the Democratic primary, Sheila Dixon, stating that he needed a partner to up enforcement of quality of life crimes.

In the past, Bates acknowledged that a lack of cases could lead to the scope of the citation docket being pared down.

“My concern is that right now the courts have been supportive of it and given us a docket,” Bates said on “The T.J. Smith Show” on WBAL NewsRadio. “Eventually, the courts are going to eventually have to say, ‘Hey, we’re not going to be able to give you a docket. We’re going to have to bring it into regular court.’”

The state’s attorney’s office used to have an FAQ on its website that listed four organizations that were providing “wrap around services” at the citation docket.

In a statement, Brian Schleter, a spokesperson for the Baltimore City Department of Social Services, wrote that the agency’s staff has engaged with the team in the state’s attorney’s office.

“However, we have not received any actionable referrals for our work readiness program, as most cases involved individuals who were either already employed or faced substance use barriers to employment,” Schleter said.

Meanwhile, Jack French, a spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, wrote in a statement that it has not received any referrals through the citation docket to date.

The Baltimore Community Mediation Center and B-360 did not provide data about referrals.

On a recent Tuesday, about 30 people gathered in a courtroom at the John R. Hargrove Sr. District Court Building. But not everyone was there for the citation docket.

District Judge Michael S. Studdard took the bench at 9 a.m. and was also there to preside over minor traffic cases and violations of probation.

Out of 24 cases on the citation docket, 13 people did not show up. Prosecutors dropped two cases.

Assistant State’s Attorney Patricia Deros in some instances asked the judge to reissue the citation and set another court date. Other times, she requested a bench warrant.

“Warrant’s issued,” Studdard said. “Commissioner will set the bond.”

Twenty-four minutes after court started, Deros made an announcement: The citation docket was complete.