GOVERNOR HOGAN: Good afternoon. Joining me are some of the leaders of our state’s police agencies, Chief Mike Wilson of the Maryland Capitol Police, Adrian Baker of the Maryland Natural Resources Police Major Jerome Howard, Maryland Transit Administration Police Chief Kevin Anderson, Maryland Transportation Authority police, Lieutenant Colonel Roland Butler, Maryland State Police Secretary Rob Green, Public Safety and Correctional Services Glenn Fueston.
Today we would welcome everyone to the state house to thank them personally for the incredible job that they do and the sacrifices they and their families make each day. While COVID‑19 has limited the crowd that we have here in the state house today, I do want to start by taking a moment to very sincerely express my appreciation to the brave men and women who protect the people of our great state. Not a day goes by when I am not grateful for their service.
Today, our primary focus continues to be on the COVID‑19 state of emergency, and on taking actions to withstand the current surge of the omicron variant. However, legislators are returning to Annapolis for their 90‑day session where they will be debating a few thousand bills. But there is nothing more important than addressing the violent crime crisis in our state and our effort to re‑fund the police and to give them the support and the resources that they need to do their jobs more effectively.
In 2020, when the defund the police movement started gaining momentum, I was one of the first leaders in America to immediately speak out strongly against it. And as I have been saying for two years now, trying to reduce crime by defunding the police is a dangerous and radical idea. It’s like saying that you want to improve our schools by defunding education. Homicide and violent crime waves are surging in nearly every major city across the country. And law enforcement agencies nationwide are struggling to attract qualifying candidates as many current officers are retiring early or simply choosing to leave the profession. You could not possibly have a worse time for anyone to call for defunding the police or cutting funding for public safety.
The reality is that our police are underfunded and under attack, which is why last fall, I announced a re‑fund the police initiative that included the investment of $150 million to recruit and retain more quality officers, increase diversity, expand community policing efforts, improve training, and teach better de-escalation techniques and provide body cams and other technology and equipment upgrades. Since announcing this re‑found police initiative, nationally it has become more clear that the defund the police movement has become a massive and utter failure. And now other cities and states have begun to follow our lead. The governor of California recently announced that he would now be increasing the state’s public safety investments and increasing support for law enforcement in an team to address the out‑of‑control crime there. The Chicago city council approved Major Lightfoot’s budget to increase police funding. After New York City lawmakers voted to cut $1 billion from the police budget, escalating concerns about crime led them to completely reverse course and restore much of this funding.
In fact, the city’s new mayor, a former police officer was elected because of his campaign opposed to defund the police movement. And last month, even the mayor of San Francisco who had been one of the leaders of the defund the police movement has reversed course and is now promising to ramp up law enforcement resources. It’s time that the reign of criminals who are destroying our city to come to an end, she said. And it comes to and when we take more steps to become more aggressive with law enforcement.
Even in the most aggressive cities all across the country, leaders are now following our lead and admitting that instead of defunding, that they need more investment in public safety. Now we just need the Maryland General Assembly to do so. Today, I’m announcing that we are expanding our re‑fund the police initiative to a three‑year $500 million investment in increased support for our police and for increased crime control and victim protection services all across the state of Maryland. Additional specific details will be laid out when we submit our budget next week. But this expanded and enhanced $500 million re‑fund the police initiative includes an additional $137 million, which is a 50 percent increase in state police aid to local jurisdictions statewide, and we will be introducing legislation to make that 50 percent increase permanent so that the next governor won’t be able to cut it. Another $220 million will fund historic salary increases and bonuses for law enforcement officers to ensure more competitive compensation and help with recruitment and retention. We will also be committing $50 million to major capital improvements for Maryland state police barracks and a new tactical services building for the Special Operations Division. We’re providing an additional $30 million in neighborhood safety grants to support hardware upgrades, lighting, cameras, and increased security services for community organizations, business districts and main streets. A 100 percent state‑funded match for all crime stoppers rewards in order to incentivize more witnesses to come forward and offer testimony. And $37 million to fully fund victim services providers, which provide vital resources for some of our most vulnerable, including the victims of sexual assault and domestic abuse.
As we previously announced, our re‑fund the police initiative also includes $24 million to create a new accountability resources fund which will pay for more body cams, improve training for de-escalation training, and other critical tools for state and local police agencies. And an additional $1 million will go directly to the Maryland chiefs and sheriffs associations to help them expand training and support.
One of the reasons why we have too many repeat violent offender is that too many violent criminals are not prosecuted and put into jail, or they’re given outrageously shortened or suspended sentences. These criminals who should be in jail are released back on to the streets on parole or probation. The state has continued increase its presence and collaboration across the state including embedding parole and probation officers directly within Baltimore police precincts. But parole and probation officers don’t have the authority to make arrests or to issue warrants. Once a warrant for a violation of parole or probation is requested, a judge has to issue it, and a local police agency has to enforce it.
In far too many case, particularly in Baltimore City, warrants are quashed by judges. And those that are issued are not prioritized by the beleaguered local police. We need transparency on whether judges are issuing requested warrants, and aggressive and immediate enforcement of all open warrants. So today, effective immediately, I have directed Secretary Green and the Division of Parole and Probation to begin a new tracking of all open warrants, beginning with all the high‑crime areas in Baltimore City so we can take steps to hold judges accountable and to help local law enforcement get more of these offenders off the streets.
In addition, we will once again be introducing emergency crime legislation, including the vie Violent Firearms Defender Act of 2022 to prosecute those who illegally possess gun as well as those who supply guns to violent criminals, and the Judicial Transparency Act of 2022 which will require the Maryland State Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy to track and published detailed information on the sentences better handed down by judges for all violent crimes. We have repeatedly proposed this legislation, including most recently during last month’s special legislative session when legislators once again ignored the pleas of their constituents and the more than 80% of the people of Baltimore and the rest of the state who strongly support this legislation.
Just after the legislature left town without taking my action on crime, Baltimore once again ended the year with more than 300 homicide. Among the victims were more young teenagers caught in the cross fire of gang violence, and Evelyn Player, who was stabbed to death at her church and Baltimore City police officer Keona Holley, who we will lay to rest tomorrow, who was ambushed and shot to death in her patrol car. On the very first day of the new year, a 16- and 17‑year‑old were gunned down in a triple shooting to become the first victims of 2022.
Today, I am again strongly urging the leaders of the city and the legislature to put all of the politics aside and to work with us to finally pass these emergency crime bills. There can be no more excuses and no more delays. The time for action is now. Keeping Marylanders safe is our number one priority, and as long as I am governor, we will not ever defund our police and we will continue to do everything we can to empower our law enforcement agencies with the support and the resources they need to finally get these violent criminals off the streets and behind bars where they belong.
With that, I would be happy to take questions.
(Question off‑mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: This is the time we have to get it done. We did pass it in the Senate last year and the year before and it got held up in the House. We tried to get it done in the special session, and I think the response was, we’re focused on a couple of things here with respect to vetoes and congressional redistricting. But there really are no more excuses. And the fact that we got it through one house, the fact that 81 percent of the people in Maryland support our bills, the fact that 86 percent of the African‑Americans in Maryland support these bills. Somewhere close to 90 percent of people in Baltimore City support these bills. The fact that city leaders and legislators continue to ignore their pleas when people are dying every day, it’s just unacceptable.
You have people say why don’t you give up? We didn’t pass it before. We’re not going to. This is our main job, to keep our constituents safe.
(Question off‑mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: I think ‑‑ I’m not sure how much of that is able to be released.
(Question off‑mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: I think we’re trying to be as transparent as possible. I would imagine that Glenn Fueston, the Office for Crime Control and Prevention will provide that so we have full transparency.
(Question off‑mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: Well, you can. That’s what our legislation is about, holding people accountable. If the judges are giving or not giving the sentences, it’s about having the violent criminals held accountable. It’s about taking them off the streets. Prince George’s county is not immune. I said it’s across the county, Baltimore City is a pretty dense population and they have crime issues they’re dealing with with rising crime as well. And I think the police do a great job, but they need all the help they can get, which is why we’re providing additional resources to the Prince George’s county police, as well as the Baltimore City police and all of the local and state police across the state. But we really need the legislature to act on these crime bills to hold judges and criminals accountable.
(Question off‑mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: We have prosecutors who won’t prosecute crime, no matter what jurisdiction that’s in. It’s a serious problem.
(Question off‑mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: I don’t have the exact data today but we can follow up with you afterwards and get you that data.
(Question off‑mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: We’re taking whatever measures we can, but providing more money for Baltimore police, state police, it’s going to help. We can’t keep arresting the same guys every day and get them off the streets. That’s what the legislation is for.
(Question off‑mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: Amazingly, we got it done through our 70 percent progressive Democratic state Senate and now nationally. As I mentioned, the mayor of San Francisco, the mayor of Chicago, the mayor of New York, it seems everywhere in the country, they’re now starting to get tough on crime. Maybe it’s time for the delegate here’s in Maryland, too.
(Question off‑mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: I think we’re still working to try to do that. I mean, obviously we’re in a state of emergency now, and I was quarantined for 10 days with COVID. In fact, we had the meeting with the mayor I think the first day that I was unable to be there because of COVID. And we’re trying to get that back on the schedule. But I definitely want to sit down with them and try to get support for the tough crime bills.
(Question off‑mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: No, we have no meeting with them.
(Question off‑mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: Well, I could tell you a little bit about this, but that would ruin the surprise of all the rest of the announcements that we have. We announce our budget next week and I’m sure we’ll have a press conference to talk about that and we may be rolling out a few more things over the next week. But our focus for the whole legislative session, as I mentioned, is going to be on crime, on cutting taxes, and, you know, on trying to get some fair maps in the redistricting process. But the budget details will be rolling out next week. We’ve been able to accomplish a lot of things. We reached agreement with every state employee union. That was a big step in the right direction. Not just our police union, but every other group in the whole state. Took a lot of work. Took a lot of people to get that done, but we’re going to put money in the rainy day. We’re going to be in much better fiscal shape.
We went from a $5.6 billion structural deficit when I got here to a $2.5 billion surplus. So we’ll have more details on exactly what we’re going to spend the money on. But we’re in great shape. I think the fourth best economic recovery in the America.
(Question off‑mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: Yes, absolutely. Thank you for the question. The question is, should the city leaders get involved in helping to push these bills? I have sat down with every single mayor. I think there’s been four mayors since I’ve been governor. And every single one of them supported their bills and we’re going to continue to do that. I would like to get the support of the city council. It is the place where we have the most murders and most violent crime. And if we can’t get the city leaders to show support, it makes it much more difficult for me to convince the legislators from Baltimore City and other places that they should support it.
(Question off‑mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: No question. There’s something going on that’s more than law enforcement. It’s not just happening in Baltimore City. It’s happening all across America. And no, I don’t know that the steps we are we are taking are going to be able to change that. But not doing anything, not taking every step that we can would be a terrible mistake, so we’re going to keep standing up and doing everything we possibly can. Some of it is not going to be under our control.
(Question off‑mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: Probably. We’ll be happy to talk to them. We talked to all of them in the past about these past same bills without much success, but we’ll certainly try to do it again.
Thank you.
Today we would welcome everyone to the state house to thank them personally for the incredible job that they do and the sacrifices they and their families make each day. While COVID‑19 has limited the crowd that we have here in the state house today, I do want to start by taking a moment to very sincerely express my appreciation to the brave men and women who protect the people of our great state. Not a day goes by when I am not grateful for their service.
Today, our primary focus continues to be on the COVID‑19 state of emergency, and on taking actions to withstand the current surge of the omicron variant. However, legislators are returning to Annapolis for their 90‑day session where they will be debating a few thousand bills. But there is nothing more important than addressing the violent crime crisis in our state and our effort to re‑fund the police and to give them the support and the resources that they need to do their jobs more effectively.
In 2020, when the defund the police movement started gaining momentum, I was one of the first leaders in America to immediately speak out strongly against it. And as I have been saying for two years now, trying to reduce crime by defunding the police is a dangerous and radical idea. It’s like saying that you want to improve our schools by defunding education. Homicide and violent crime waves are surging in nearly every major city across the country. And law enforcement agencies nationwide are struggling to attract qualifying candidates as many current officers are retiring early or simply choosing to leave the profession. You could not possibly have a worse time for anyone to call for defunding the police or cutting funding for public safety.
The reality is that our police are underfunded and under attack, which is why last fall, I announced a re‑fund the police initiative that included the investment of $150 million to recruit and retain more quality officers, increase diversity, expand community policing efforts, improve training, and teach better de-escalation techniques and provide body cams and other technology and equipment upgrades. Since announcing this re‑found police initiative, nationally it has become more clear that the defund the police movement has become a massive and utter failure. And now other cities and states have begun to follow our lead. The governor of California recently announced that he would now be increasing the state’s public safety investments and increasing support for law enforcement in an team to address the out‑of‑control crime there. The Chicago city council approved Major Lightfoot’s budget to increase police funding. After New York City lawmakers voted to cut $1 billion from the police budget, escalating concerns about crime led them to completely reverse course and restore much of this funding.
In fact, the city’s new mayor, a former police officer was elected because of his campaign opposed to defund the police movement. And last month, even the mayor of San Francisco who had been one of the leaders of the defund the police movement has reversed course and is now promising to ramp up law enforcement resources. It’s time that the reign of criminals who are destroying our city to come to an end, she said. And it comes to and when we take more steps to become more aggressive with law enforcement.
Even in the most aggressive cities all across the country, leaders are now following our lead and admitting that instead of defunding, that they need more investment in public safety. Now we just need the Maryland General Assembly to do so. Today, I’m announcing that we are expanding our re‑fund the police initiative to a three‑year $500 million investment in increased support for our police and for increased crime control and victim protection services all across the state of Maryland. Additional specific details will be laid out when we submit our budget next week. But this expanded and enhanced $500 million re‑fund the police initiative includes an additional $137 million, which is a 50 percent increase in state police aid to local jurisdictions statewide, and we will be introducing legislation to make that 50 percent increase permanent so that the next governor won’t be able to cut it. Another $220 million will fund historic salary increases and bonuses for law enforcement officers to ensure more competitive compensation and help with recruitment and retention. We will also be committing $50 million to major capital improvements for Maryland state police barracks and a new tactical services building for the Special Operations Division. We’re providing an additional $30 million in neighborhood safety grants to support hardware upgrades, lighting, cameras, and increased security services for community organizations, business districts and main streets. A 100 percent state‑funded match for all crime stoppers rewards in order to incentivize more witnesses to come forward and offer testimony. And $37 million to fully fund victim services providers, which provide vital resources for some of our most vulnerable, including the victims of sexual assault and domestic abuse.
As we previously announced, our re‑fund the police initiative also includes $24 million to create a new accountability resources fund which will pay for more body cams, improve training for de-escalation training, and other critical tools for state and local police agencies. And an additional $1 million will go directly to the Maryland chiefs and sheriffs associations to help them expand training and support.
One of the reasons why we have too many repeat violent offender is that too many violent criminals are not prosecuted and put into jail, or they’re given outrageously shortened or suspended sentences. These criminals who should be in jail are released back on to the streets on parole or probation. The state has continued increase its presence and collaboration across the state including embedding parole and probation officers directly within Baltimore police precincts. But parole and probation officers don’t have the authority to make arrests or to issue warrants. Once a warrant for a violation of parole or probation is requested, a judge has to issue it, and a local police agency has to enforce it.
In far too many case, particularly in Baltimore City, warrants are quashed by judges. And those that are issued are not prioritized by the beleaguered local police. We need transparency on whether judges are issuing requested warrants, and aggressive and immediate enforcement of all open warrants. So today, effective immediately, I have directed Secretary Green and the Division of Parole and Probation to begin a new tracking of all open warrants, beginning with all the high‑crime areas in Baltimore City so we can take steps to hold judges accountable and to help local law enforcement get more of these offenders off the streets.
In addition, we will once again be introducing emergency crime legislation, including the vie Violent Firearms Defender Act of 2022 to prosecute those who illegally possess gun as well as those who supply guns to violent criminals, and the Judicial Transparency Act of 2022 which will require the Maryland State Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy to track and published detailed information on the sentences better handed down by judges for all violent crimes. We have repeatedly proposed this legislation, including most recently during last month’s special legislative session when legislators once again ignored the pleas of their constituents and the more than 80% of the people of Baltimore and the rest of the state who strongly support this legislation.
Just after the legislature left town without taking my action on crime, Baltimore once again ended the year with more than 300 homicide. Among the victims were more young teenagers caught in the cross fire of gang violence, and Evelyn Player, who was stabbed to death at her church and Baltimore City police officer Keona Holley, who we will lay to rest tomorrow, who was ambushed and shot to death in her patrol car. On the very first day of the new year, a 16- and 17‑year‑old were gunned down in a triple shooting to become the first victims of 2022.
Today, I am again strongly urging the leaders of the city and the legislature to put all of the politics aside and to work with us to finally pass these emergency crime bills. There can be no more excuses and no more delays. The time for action is now. Keeping Marylanders safe is our number one priority, and as long as I am governor, we will not ever defund our police and we will continue to do everything we can to empower our law enforcement agencies with the support and the resources they need to finally get these violent criminals off the streets and behind bars where they belong.
With that, I would be happy to take questions.
(Question off‑mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: This is the time we have to get it done. We did pass it in the Senate last year and the year before and it got held up in the House. We tried to get it done in the special session, and I think the response was, we’re focused on a couple of things here with respect to vetoes and congressional redistricting. But there really are no more excuses. And the fact that we got it through one house, the fact that 81 percent of the people in Maryland support our bills, the fact that 86 percent of the African‑Americans in Maryland support these bills. Somewhere close to 90 percent of people in Baltimore City support these bills. The fact that city leaders and legislators continue to ignore their pleas when people are dying every day, it’s just unacceptable.
You have people say why don’t you give up? We didn’t pass it before. We’re not going to. This is our main job, to keep our constituents safe.
(Question off‑mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: I think ‑‑ I’m not sure how much of that is able to be released.
(Question off‑mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: I think we’re trying to be as transparent as possible. I would imagine that Glenn Fueston, the Office for Crime Control and Prevention will provide that so we have full transparency.
(Question off‑mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: Well, you can. That’s what our legislation is about, holding people accountable. If the judges are giving or not giving the sentences, it’s about having the violent criminals held accountable. It’s about taking them off the streets. Prince George’s county is not immune. I said it’s across the county, Baltimore City is a pretty dense population and they have crime issues they’re dealing with with rising crime as well. And I think the police do a great job, but they need all the help they can get, which is why we’re providing additional resources to the Prince George’s county police, as well as the Baltimore City police and all of the local and state police across the state. But we really need the legislature to act on these crime bills to hold judges and criminals accountable.
(Question off‑mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: We have prosecutors who won’t prosecute crime, no matter what jurisdiction that’s in. It’s a serious problem.
(Question off‑mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: I don’t have the exact data today but we can follow up with you afterwards and get you that data.
(Question off‑mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: We’re taking whatever measures we can, but providing more money for Baltimore police, state police, it’s going to help. We can’t keep arresting the same guys every day and get them off the streets. That’s what the legislation is for.
(Question off‑mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: Amazingly, we got it done through our 70 percent progressive Democratic state Senate and now nationally. As I mentioned, the mayor of San Francisco, the mayor of Chicago, the mayor of New York, it seems everywhere in the country, they’re now starting to get tough on crime. Maybe it’s time for the delegate here’s in Maryland, too.
(Question off‑mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: I think we’re still working to try to do that. I mean, obviously we’re in a state of emergency now, and I was quarantined for 10 days with COVID. In fact, we had the meeting with the mayor I think the first day that I was unable to be there because of COVID. And we’re trying to get that back on the schedule. But I definitely want to sit down with them and try to get support for the tough crime bills.
(Question off‑mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: No, we have no meeting with them.
(Question off‑mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: Well, I could tell you a little bit about this, but that would ruin the surprise of all the rest of the announcements that we have. We announce our budget next week and I’m sure we’ll have a press conference to talk about that and we may be rolling out a few more things over the next week. But our focus for the whole legislative session, as I mentioned, is going to be on crime, on cutting taxes, and, you know, on trying to get some fair maps in the redistricting process. But the budget details will be rolling out next week. We’ve been able to accomplish a lot of things. We reached agreement with every state employee union. That was a big step in the right direction. Not just our police union, but every other group in the whole state. Took a lot of work. Took a lot of people to get that done, but we’re going to put money in the rainy day. We’re going to be in much better fiscal shape.
We went from a $5.6 billion structural deficit when I got here to a $2.5 billion surplus. So we’ll have more details on exactly what we’re going to spend the money on. But we’re in great shape. I think the fourth best economic recovery in the America.
(Question off‑mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: Yes, absolutely. Thank you for the question. The question is, should the city leaders get involved in helping to push these bills? I have sat down with every single mayor. I think there’s been four mayors since I’ve been governor. And every single one of them supported their bills and we’re going to continue to do that. I would like to get the support of the city council. It is the place where we have the most murders and most violent crime. And if we can’t get the city leaders to show support, it makes it much more difficult for me to convince the legislators from Baltimore City and other places that they should support it.
(Question off‑mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: No question. There’s something going on that’s more than law enforcement. It’s not just happening in Baltimore City. It’s happening all across America. And no, I don’t know that the steps we are we are taking are going to be able to change that. But not doing anything, not taking every step that we can would be a terrible mistake, so we’re going to keep standing up and doing everything we possibly can. Some of it is not going to be under our control.
(Question off‑mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: Probably. We’ll be happy to talk to them. We talked to all of them in the past about these past same bills without much success, but we’ll certainly try to do it again.
Thank you.