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Gov. Hogan Announces New Initiatives, Funding To Address Violent Crime In Baltimore

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Gov. Larry Hogan announced a multi-million dollar crime-fighting initiative on Wednesday, saying his plan will crack down on violent offenders and illegal guns and provide support to juveniles who find themselves in trouble with the law.

He said in a press conference he is committing $21 million in additional state funding to help fight crime in Baltimore City, and the money will be divided between various departments so that the city can hire more officers and prosecute more violent offenses.

He also says that he will be adding an additional 500 federal, state and local law enforcement officers to back up Baltimore City Police.

"I am not the mayor of Baltimore City, I am not the city police commissioner, I am not the city's state's attorney but keeping Marylanders safe is my responsibility," Gov. Hogan said.

He said the $21 million will specifically be allocated to the Baltimore City Police Department to increase policing efforts and to the City State's Attorney General's office to prosecute cases of gun violence.

He's also adding 25 prosecutors to the Attorney General's office and implementing a juvenile crime strategy.

"In order to respond to this crisis effectively, we're going to require a holistic approach and that means more of an effort at an earlier stage to try to prevent young people from being sentenced to a life of crime," Gov. Hogan said.

Mayor Jack Young released a statement that reads in part: "I would like to personally thank Governor Hogan and the General Assembly for releasing existing funds as well as for funding additional targeted investments critical to public safety in Baltimore."

"I've lived in Baltimore for most of my life, I'm 83, and I'm just hoping for some positive changes," said resident Rosa Lewis

Lewis said it's too soon to tell if the plan will work.

"But anything that it does might be an improvement," she added.

At Wednesday's press conference, the governor also talked about two pieces of new legislation which would toughen penalties for anyone who intimidates a witness to a crime and make victim restitution payments mandatory.

In a statement' Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby's reaction to the plan was mixed.

The statement reads:

"Maryland's broken juvenile justice system too often fails to address the needs of our most vulnerable youth and I am encouraged by Governor Hogan's willingness to address this important issue. But unfortunately, I also have major concerns regarding his decision to replicate status quo failed policies from the past that pour money into law enforcement-only approaches. Similar approaches such as, the Crime Bill of 1994, have led to mass incarceration without a sustainable reduction in crime. We cannot solely police our way out of crime without addressing the root causes as to why crimes take place.

"As I stated in my letter addressed to the Governor in September, we must work collaboratively and thoughtfully to reduce crime and violence, and I will continue to fight for funding for holistic approaches that aggressively and directly addresses the circumstances that are endemic to crime and violence.

"If we are going to see a safer city and make progress on reducing the level of crime in Baltimore, all vested partners must work together and dismantle the silos and protracted bureaucracy that stifles collaboration and creativity. As State's Attorney, I remain fully committed to working with the Governor, the Attorney General, the Mayor, the BPD, our federal partners and the community to find real solutions to crime in our city."

 

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