MD Gov. to investigate Baltimore City AG Marilyn Mosby's office

Now that there has been a surge in violent crime, including high profile homicides, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (R)  announced that investigations into Baltimore City Attorney General Marilyn Mosby's office will take place.

Hogan made a series of announcements  regarding his office's efforts to bring crime under control in Baltimore and promised an investigation into the controversial city's AG, who made national headlines early this year when she announced that her office would no longer prosecute "low-level" crimes like drug possession and prostitution. She claimed that "the data suggest there is no public safety value in prosecuting low-level offenses."

Of course, she probably never actually looked at any "data" because reality doesn't support her words.

The city has seen serious deterioration in the quality of life since Mosby pontificated her point. This sparked a over 40 businesses to threaten to refuse to pay taxes until some improvement in crime prevention is realized. 

Even beyond quality of life issues, there has been a serious spike in violent crime in the city and for seven straight years, homicides have surpassed 300. The city almost laughingly created what they term "no shoot zones." 

But for some reason, shooters refused to obey the law. It's like gun control--only law abiding citizens go along with law. Who'd a thunk?

Gov. Hogan spoke at a press conference where he said,  "People are being shot nearly every single day in Baltimore City, and we all have an obligation to do something about it right now. With all of the actions we have announced today, I want those families and all the victims of this violence to know that we will not stop pursuing those criminals who are terrorizing our community, and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to make these neighborhoods safer and to get these violent shooters off the streets."

Hogan took a potshot at Mosby's office. He sent a letter to her demanded an accounting of her office's use of state crime prevention funds, including specifically an accounting of "The number of cases your office has chosen not to prosecute, including a breakdown of the reasons for non-prosecution." He also demanded to know, "The number of cases plead down to lesser charges, including plea agreements reached that are less than mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines." 

The Governor threatened that "all funding for your office [will be placed] under evaluation pending the fulfillment of this request and review of the data produced."

It almost always takes a Republican to do the work of a grownup. 

Hogan also announced that his office was fast-tracking and expanding its neighborhood safety grants program, which would provide "hardware upgrades, lighting, cameras, and increased security services for community organizations and business districts," including "places of worship and vulnerable communities." And he will reintroduce crime legislation during a December special session of the Maryland legislature.

In response to Hogan's actions, Mosby lashed out at him, calling his remarks a political stunt and defending her office's prosecution of violent crime. "Quite candidly, he's more concerned with pointing the finger at everyone else, as opposed to actually leading and delivering for a city that is the heartbeat of this state," Mosby claimed. 

But the crime statistics clearly validate Gov. Hogan's concerns and Mosby's lack of concern for crime in the city whose motto is: "The Greatest City in America."

Say what?

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