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May 25, 2022
Wes Moore calls on Gov. Hogan to take immediate action to combat violent crime in Baltimore
Moore outlines emergency actions and state resources at Hogan’s disposal to address rising violent crime
‘There are immediate actions you can take to save lives’ – Moore in letter to Hogan detailing action steps
BALTIMORE (May 25, 2022) – Today, democratic candidate for Maryland Governor Wes Moore called on Gov. Larry Hogan to take immediate action to stem the tide of violent crime plaguing Baltimore City, detailing specific actions the governor should immediately take.
“As you are well aware, violent crime in Baltimore is a crisis that has sustained the entirety of your tenure as governor of Maryland,” Wes Moore writes in his letter to the governor. “Nearly every day, people are dying in our streets and families are being torn apart. The effects of violence and trauma are far-reaching, permeate every facet of our lives, and threaten the well-being and future of our state.”
Flanked by Baltimore City Councilmembers John Bullock (District 9), Mark Conway (District 4), and Robert Stokes (District 12); Moore called on the governor to lead.
The leaders were also joined by Daphne Alston, a community leader who lost her son to homicide in Baltimore, and co-founded the community based organization, Mothers Of Murdered Sons.
“For the last 14 years myself and my organization, who are also – our children are also victims of homicide – we have not heard from the state government at all,” said Alston, who was invited to the podium by Moore.
“We have had 300 murders a year in Baltimore for the past seven years – every year of Gov. Hogan’s administration,” Moore said in his remarks. “I am tired of having a Governor who only talks about Baltimore when he’s pointing fingers at citizens who are working tirelessly every single day to keep people safe. It doesn’t have to be this way … The number one responsibility of any chief executive is to keep your people safe. So today I am calling on Governor Hogan to take action.”
In his letter to Hogan, Moore outlines six clear actions the governor can take now. “There are immediate actions you can take to save lives,” Moore writes, urging Hogan to:
- Immediately move to fill the more than 100 vacancies at the Department of Probation and Parole (DPP). This is a state agency that is the governor’s responsibility alone. Data clearly show that individuals under the supervision of the DPP are disproportionately the perpetrators and the victims of violent crime. Your administration has allowed this critical agency to atrophy to dangerously low staffing levels. A fully staffed DPP would be able to better supervise its high-risk population, identify individuals at risk of committing or becoming the victims of violent crime, connect people to resources, and coordinate interdepartmentally – including with the City’s shooting review board pilot.
- Solicit federal support from ATF and direct state law enforcement to provide support to Baltimore’s new Firearm Intelligence Unit. This is similar to the action you took in March to supplement warrant apprehension efforts, and given that nearly two-thirds of guns in Baltimore come from out of state, it is clear that trafficking is a major concern. Baltimore’s new Firearm Intelligence Unit does critical work to crack down on gun trafficking, ghost guns and other illegal firearms making their way onto Baltimore’s streets. I urge you to dedicate state resources to support these efforts and request federal support from ATF on this matter.
- Support the immediate expansion of a City-wide shooting review board in Baltimore. Baltimore has already established a shooting review board pilot in one of its districts, and it’s clear that we need to expand that pilot City-wide. I urge you to make emergency funding available and begin developing a plan to provide sustained staffing support and necessary technical assistance to scale this effort across all nine districts. The City-wide board will bring state and local public safety and health departments, community organizations, and other leaders together to review every reported shooting in the City, and identify patterns and direct resources to reduce gun violence.
- Collaborate with state and local leaders to develop and implement a risk assessment tool that can be utilized universally across state and local agencies to identify individuals under the supervision of the DPP who may be at risk of becoming a perpetrator or victim of violent crime so that resources can be deployed accordingly.
- Keep our young people safe and equip them with the skills they need to succeed. Baltimore’s youth continue to get wrapped up in dangerous and lethal cycles of crime and violence. We must do more to keep them engaged in healthy, educational activities and equip them with the skills they need to step into good jobs and away from criminal activity. I am calling on you to fund additional slots for youth to participate in afterschool and job programs that have proven to be successful.
- Increase support for Crisis Intervention Teams through the Crisis Intervention Team Center of Excellence to train and equip law enforcement with the skills they need to engage with individuals experiencing mental illness and direct them to treatment, not jail.
Read Wes Moore’s letter to Gov. Hogan »
In his bid to become the next Governor of Maryland, Wes Moore has earned the support of U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (MD-5), former Governor and former Prince George’s County Executive Parris Glendening; former Democratic nominee for Governor Ben Jealous; Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks; Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman; Former Baltimore County Executive Don Mohler; Former Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith; Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy; Sen. Guy Guzzone (District 13); Sen. Antonio Hayes (District 40); Sen. Cheryl Kagan (District 17); Sen. Delores Kelley (District 10); Sen. Susan Lee (District 16); Sen. Obie Patterson (District 26); Former Sen. Nathaniel McFadden (District 45); Del. Marlon Amprey (District 40); Del. Vanessa Atterbeary (District 13); Del. Ben Barnes (District 21); Del. Kumar Barve (District 17); Del. Lisa Belcastro (District 11); Del. Regina Boyce (District 43); Del. Chanel Branch (District 45); Del. Frank Conaway, Jr. (District 40); Del. Debra Davis (District 28); Del. Jessica Feldmark (District 13); Del. Terri Hill (District 12); Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates Adrienne Jones (District 10); Del. Anne Kaiser (District 14); Del. Cheryl Landis (District 23B); Majority Leader Del. Eric Luedtke (District 14); Del. Roxane Prettyman (District 44A); Del. Mike Rogers (District 32); Del. Sandy Rosenberg (District 41); Del. Emily Shetty (District 18); Del. Geraldine Valentino-Smith (District 23A); Del. and Baltimore City Delegation Chair Stephanie Smith (District 45); Del. Melissa Wells (District 40); Del. Nicole Williams (District 22); Former Del. Gene Counihan (District 15); Baltimore County Councilmember Cathy Bevins (District 6); Bowie Mayor Pro Tem & Councilmember Adrian Boafo; Baltimore City Councilmember John Bullock (District 9); Hagerstown City Councilmember Tiara Burnett; Morningside Mayor Bennard Cann; Charles County Commissioner Thomasina Coates (District 2); Baltimore City Councilmember Zeke Cohen (District 1); Baltimore City Councilmember Mark Conway (District 4); Baltimore City Councilmember Eric Costello (District 11); Bowie City Councilmember Michael Esteve (District 11); Gaithersburg Councilmember Lisa Henderson; Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando (At Large); Baltimore County Council Chair and Councilmember Julian Jones (District 4); Hagerstown Mayor Emily Keller; Hagerstown City Councilmember Tekesha Martinez; Prince George’s County Councilmember Johnathan Medlock (District 6); Former Gaithersburg Councilmember Yvette Monroe; Pocomoke City Councilmember Todd Nock (District 4); Baltimore City Councilmember Phylicia Porter (District 10); Baltimore City Councilmember Odette Ramos (District 14); Somerset Mayor Jeffrey Slavin; Riverdale Park Councilmember Richard Smith (Ward 1); Laurel Councilmember Brencis Smith (Ward 2); Baltimore City Councilmember Robert Stokes (District 12); Baltimore City Councilmember James Torrence (District 7); Forest Heights Mayor Calvin Washington; former Maryland Democratic Party chairs Michael Cryor and Susie Turnbull; Former Chair of the Montgomery County Planning Board Royce Hanson; The Baltimore Fire Officers Union Local 964; Collective PAC, one of the nation’s largest organizations working to build Black representation in government; Impact, a leading national organization supporting the Indian American and South Asian community; Ironworkers Local #5, a progressive union representing over 1,000 ironworkers; The Maryland State Education Association; The Columbia Democratic Club; and VoteVetsPAC, one of the top veterans advocacy organizations in the country.
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