September 10, 2019
The Honorable Bernard C. “Jack” Young
Office of the Mayor
City Hall, Room 250
100 N. Holliday St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
Commissioner Michael Harrison
Baltimore Police Department
601 East Fayette Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
Mayor Young and Commissioner Harrison:
Addressing the violent crime crisis is the single most urgent issue facing Baltimore City.
People who live in Baltimore don’t feel safe in their own neighborhoods, and citizens all
across the state are outraged by the daily reports of rampant violence. This year,
homicides are up 21% and non-fatal shootings are up 26%.
While your new ​Crime Reduction Strategy​ takes some important steps in the right
direction, much of what you are proposing represents the status quo and is already
being done or has been tried before. The state is already doing much of what you
recently requested us to do, and we are prepared to do even more. You have inherited
a difficult situation, but now is the time to show the people of the city that we are all
serious about stopping this deadly violence and getting shooters off of the streets. ​This
must be the focus of our collective efforts.
Accountability for Violent Crime Reduction
While there is no single solution to this crisis, no strategy will work without a real
commitment to accountability and transparency. The citizens of Baltimore are most
concerned about the dramatic rise in homicides and shootings, yet the city currently has
no clear goals in place for the reduction of violent crime. Taxpayers should be able to
track your progress and measure whether what you are doing is working.
We urge you to set aggressive but achievable benchmarks for violent crime reduction,
beginning with getting homicides back down below 200 per year. This is not an
un​realistic target and would bring the city back to the levels of less than a decade ago.

 In 2011, ​there were 197 homicides in Baltimore City. By many measures, the city should
be even better positioned today to tackle its violent crime problem. ​Since 2011, the total
Baltimore Police Department (BPD) budget has increased by 47%. Unemployment has
been cut by more than half to 3.8%, and the median household income has increased
by 21.7%.
While your ​Crime Reduction Strategy​ recognizes the importance of establishing some
targets, we believe you should be unequivocal in setting more aggressive benchmarks.
For example, your plan establishes a goal ​of having a clearance rate greater than 40%
for solving homicides. Maryland’s average is 60%, which is similar to the national
average. Baltimore City should set as a goal a clearance rate of 60% as well.
Citizens should be able to track the progress you are making. This can be accomplished
by clearly establishing specific reduction goals and by releasing q​uarterly data for each
of the following categories:
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Homicides
Violent Crime
Property Crime
Other Crime
Non-Fatal Shootings
Firearms Related Offenses

Tougher Sentences for Repeat Violent Offenders
The criminals responsible for most of these senseless killings in Baltimore City are
repeat violent offenders. So far this year, 82% of homicide suspects had prior criminal
records with a staggering average of nearly nine prior arrests. More than half of
homicide suspects had at least one prior arrest for a violent offense and over 40% had
previously been arrested for a gun crime.
Currently in Baltimore City, repeat violent offenders who commit crimes with a gun often
get a slap on the wrist and are released back out on to the streets to commit yet another
violent felony with a gun. This should not be acceptable to anyone.
This year, as you know, we put a bill before the legislature to require tougher sentencing
for repeat violent offenders. Unfortunately, the city’s elected leaders and lawmakers
refused to support this and failed to take actions that would help get the shooters and
most violent criminals off our streets and behind bars.

 During the 2020 legislative session, our administration will introduce expanded
proposals to toughen penalties for first-time and repeat offenders who use guns to
commit crimes. Your support is crucial to getting these important measures passed.
Without that, many of these other proposed steps will be in vain.
New Air Support
We are aware of the Baltimore Community Support Program, often referred to as the
“Eye in the Sky,” which is estimated to be able to reduce crime by 20​—3
​ 0% in the first
year by a combination of gathering evidence and deterring criminals from engaging in
unlawful conduct. We understand that this has been offered at no cost to Baltimore for
up to three years. We urge you to implement this program immediately.
In addition, the Maryland State Police Aviation Command, effective immediately, will
allow up to 10 Maryland State Police (MDSP) helicopter crews to conduct law
enforcement tactical flights over Baltimore whenever their duties bring them into or near
the city. This includes when they leave Baltimore hospitals following medevacs, when
they are conducting training flights, and when they are moving to or from their
headquarters at Martin State Airport. They will provide additional support to the police
officers on the ground and will proactively search for criminal activity or suspicious
circumstances from the air.
The MDSP Aviation Command will coordinate these flights with the BPD Aviation Unit.
Our flight crews will work closely with the members of BPD’s Foxtrot to avoid overlap
and to ensure their flights are utilized where they are most critically needed.
$21 Million in State Funding
We are prepared to provide an additional $21 million in state funding for the city
provided that you submit acceptable quarterly performance measures to the Governor’s
Office of Crime Control and Prevention (GOCCP) and the legislative budget committees
by October 15, 2019, and quarterly reports thereafter, along with reports on the violent
crime reduction targets discussed above. This will include the $7 million in requests you
made during our August 23 meeting, as well as local law enforcement grants to the BPD
and State’s Attorney’s Office.

 Should you feel additional funding is necessary to achieve your violent crime reduction
targets, our administration is prepared to work with the city and the legislature to
reallocate some of the financial assistance currently allotted to Baltimore City.
Continued Record State Support
With regards to your other requests, the state is already engaged in ​nearly all​ of the
activities you are requesting.
● Our administration has provided more than $1 billion for public safety and crime
control efforts in Baltimore City, including funding for outreach programs like Safe
Streets and technology upgrades for the BPD.
● Through our Enhanced Visibility Patrol Initiative, state law enforcement officers
patrol high crime areas in an effort to detect and deter criminal activity. As part of
this program, nearly 2,800 warrants have been served and over 426,000 premise
checks have been conducted in Baltimore City.
● As part of a​n aggressive, coordinated surge, the state collaborated with ​federal,
state, and local law enforcement to focus 500 officers on violent offenders. This
surge resulted in 3,300 arrests​—​including 259 of Baltimore City’s most violent
offenders​—​the seizure of 700 guns, and 272 gun cases were referred for federal
prosecution.
● The Department of Parole and Probation has 1,848 positions in Baltimore, and
we have sent officers into every single police precinct to assist the BPD.
● Our administration has provided $7 million each year in recurring dollars to fund
75 additional Baltimore City police officers. We also provided additional funding
for the city to pay recruitment bonuses in order to help attract and retain new
patrol officers.
● We expanded Project Exile, providing state funding for additional federal
prosecutors dedicated to charging Baltimore City repeat violent offenders with
federal crimes in federal courts.
● We pushed for the recently-announced joint strike force comprised of more than
200 law enforcement officials from 18 federal, state, and local law enforcement
agencies, which is focused on disrupting and dismantling violent crime

 organizations.
● We created the Maryland Criminal Intelligence Network (MCIN) to allow for better
data sharing among local, state, and federal law enforcement to better target
criminal enterprises.
● We successfully enacted tough legislation to tackle violent crime, including a
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (​RICO) statute that allows
prosecutors to better target drug traffickers and criminal enterprises.
● With the Justice Reinvestment Act, we enacted the most sweeping bipartisan
criminal justice reform in a generation. It emphasizes treatment for individuals
struggling with addiction and has reduced the prison population by prioritizing
prison beds for violent offenders.
MDSP, Homeland Security, the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services
(DPSCS), and GOCCP will coordinate with the BPD to facilitate the necessary follow-up
discussions to build and improve upon what we are already doing and how the BPD can
better coordinate with all of our state agencies.
We will also continue to consider new initiatives and alternatives for the state to assist
the city in addressing its violent crime problem. While we are committed to continuing to
provide the city with unprecedented state support, the people of Baltimore City want and
deserve results from their own city leaders. The time for action is now.
Sincerely,

Larry Hogan
Governor
cc: House Speaker Adrienne Jones
Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller
Baltimore City Council President Brandon Scott