But when it comes to oversight and policy direction from the legislative branch, the City Council plays no role. For reasons that perhaps made sense in the politics of 19th-Century Maryland, the Baltimore police department was established as a state agency, and it is governed not by the city's charter and code but by the Public Local Laws of Baltimore City, which are enacted by the General Assembly. As a matter of practice, the city's delegation in Annapolis is given courtesy by other lawmakers to enact changes to the laws affecting Baltimore alone, but at a time when the police are and ought to be subject to extensive reform efforts, the system is at best inefficient and at worst raises the potential for conflicting agendas.