By Wes Moore
A dedicated police officer ambushed in her car. A devoted church worker in my home church in East Baltimore stabbed to death in our place of worship. A young high school student shot with an untraceable ghost gun. Safe Streets workers and community leaders killed while fighting to make our communities safe. Carjackings at gunpoint.
The headlines are as horrific as they are persistent. The toll on victims, families and communities is immeasurable and unacceptable: 300-plus murders per year in Baltimore for seven consecutive years. But this is far from a problem in Baltimore alone. Across the state of Maryland, violent crime has increased. The murder rate has risen in 11 jurisdictions across the state over the past four years. Fourteen jurisdictions in Maryland — more than half the state — have seen an increase in the number of rapes. This is a statewide crisis.