State Lawmakers, City Officials Meet To Address Crime In Baltimore
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- Members of the Maryland General Assembly heard from Mayor Jack Young, Police Commissioner Michael Harrison and State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby about the challenges that are facing Baltimore.
Young, Harrison and Mosby addressed a joint committee hearing in Annapolis on Friday about crime and public safety in Baltimore.
"At the end of the day, the most important stakeholder in the criminal justice system is the community," Mosby said. "If we can't get individuals who are shot and killed in broad daylight, and individuals do not come forward, there cannot be an expectation that police officers and my prosecutors are going to be able to obtain a conviction."
Lawmakers listened with an eye toward legislation to effectively change the culture of violence and intimidation in Baltimore.
We can talk all day about what to do after someone is killed, but we must also have a hard conversation about why the perpetrators of violence have no regard for human life," Mayor Young said.
According to the state's attorney, 35 percent of cases are dismissed because of a lack of victim-witness cooperation.
Mosby is proposing a felony crime of violence for witness intimidation.
Governor Larry Hogan's legislative agenda also includes a crackdown on witness intimidation.
