BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - On March 26th, Baltimore City State’s Attorney
Marilyn Mosby held a press conference outside the courthouse in downtown
Baltimore where she announced that her office would no longer be
prosecuting various “low-level” crimes.
During her announcement, she also declared that the “war on drugs” in
her city was over. According to the Baltimore Sun, the data that her
office provided shows that what Mosby claims is a departure from what
has not been working, is really just a continuation of a sharp trend of
de-policing and non-prosecution of drug laws in the city.
When Mosby took office in January 2015, drug arrests had already
decreased by 67 percent from 2011 to 2015. After she took office, those
arrests fell another 52 percent by 2019. During the same time,
2011-2019, the city’s homicide rate nearly doubled from 31 per 100,000
residents to 59 per 100,000 residents.
The Sun reported that when local officials choose not to enforce certain
federal and state laws, they are literally inviting a world of trouble.
According to the Sun:
“By eliminating the risk of prosecution for drug possession and
attempted distribution in the city, but not in the rest of Maryland
(where drug arrests have remained roughly stable over the last decade),
Ms. Mosby is increasing the profitability of the drug trade and inviting
more of it to relocate here. Since competition for ‘turf’ and profits in
this trade frequently take violent forms, this is very likely to lead to
‘high-level’ crimes and loss of life.”
As stated by the Sun, the data shows that since 2011, drug arrests have
decreased, but homicides have doubled and if Mosby truly wished to end
“what has not been working,” then she needs to prosecute individuals and
enforce state and federal law.
In April, Mosby gave City Council members additional information on her
office’s now permanent policy to no longer prosecute minor crimes like
drug possession and prostitution. She said:
“There is no public safety value and never really was any public safety
value in prosecuting these low-level offenses.”

She added:
“It is wholly counterproductive to continue to prioritize low-level
offenses over violent crime.”
Mosby’s new policy is facing sharp criticism from the Baltimore City
Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). According to the Baltimore FOP, Mosby
is giving drug users, sex workers, and trespassers free reign to
terrorize the city.

Kurt Nachtman, a former Baltimore city prosecutor, now a defense
attorney, calls Mosby’s new policy “simply a bad idea.” He said:
“I think there’s a sentiment in Baltimore city that if you’re caught for
a low-level crime you are not going to get prosecuted and so there is a
certain level of brazenness that has taken hold in the city.”

Although the FOP strongly disagree withs Mosby’s policy, they made a
public memo confirming that the police department would continue to
align its practices with Mosby’s policies.
Under the directive, officers can only charge someone with offenses like
drug possession, prostitution, and trespassing after consulting with a
superior who is a lieutenant or above.
The city will now look at lesser offenses as public health issues and
will connect people with help through Baltimore Crisis Response
Incorporated instead if putting them behind bars. Mosby added that the
mayor’s office is now exploring how to divert 911 calls for these minor
offenses to health services officials. She said:
“You call 911 and what the police department is doing is making those
referrals to those agencies, calling those agencies and those agencies
are actually responding to the locations and providing the services.”
Mosby has stated that as long as she is the city state’s attorney, she
has no intention of going back to prosecuting low-level offenses.

Murders have doubled - yet the Baltimore City State's Attorney's
solution is to stop prosecuting crimes?
LAWENFORCEMENTTODAY.COM
Murders have doubled - yet the Baltimore City State's Attorney's
solution is to stop prosecuting crimes?

Marilyn Mosby took office in 2015 and homicides continued to