PUBLIC SAFETY
Baltimore is making gains, but its progress is far from secure.
Crime has fallen to historic lows, but citizens continue to face unacceptable levels of crime and quality of life challenges. Now Baltimore faces unprecedented threats on the horizon.
President Trump has threatened to send the National Guard to occupy our city, subordinating the officials accountable to Baltimore residents to an invading force answerable only to him. At the same time, ICE is making our neighbors less likely to report crimes or cooperate with investigators. Police depend on the participation of every resident to prevent crime and solve investigations, and when immigrant communities are treated as suspects, it undermines safety for everyone.
As Chair of Public Safety, I worked to align the Baltimore Police Department with the expectations of the community by working to develop the Police Accountability Board, as well as providing oversight to the department in the effort to meet the benchmarks of the federal consent decree. I understand that any public safety effort that is not rooted in partnership with the community is destined to fail.
That is why, as your congressman, I will:
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Public safety must be accountable to Baltimore residents, not controlled by Washington for political theater, and I will block any attempt to federalize our city’s streets.
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pushing for federal resources to expand intensive supervision with dedicated case workers, ensuring repeat offenders are monitored, held accountable, and connected to life-changing wraparound services, as well as investing in whole-of-family support to stabilize households and break cycles of crime.
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Local policing should focus on solving crimes and keeping families safe, not driving immigrant communities into the shadows or making them less likely to cooperate.
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securing federal support to help Baltimore sustain reforms, meeting consent decree standards, and building a transparent, accountable department rooted in trust.
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By investing in crisis response teams and wraparound services, we can reduce the burden on police, improve outcomes for residents, and allow officers to focus on violent crime.