Public Safety

Last year was the seventh straight year that Baltimore has seen in excess of 300 murders, despite a shrinking population, making it the most violent year in the City’s history. With 337 people killed and 728 shot in 2021, over one thousand people were lost or almost lost to violence. This year shows signs of being even worse. I have spent twenty years as a leader fighting crime and pursuing justice in Baltimore. As Deputy State’s Attorney, I worked with prosecutors and police, community activists and neighborhood  leaders on one of the most dramatic reductions in violent crime in the history of Baltimore, while at the same time arrests were cut in half and thousands of victims of addiction and poverty were diverted to the resources and services they so desperately needed. As Director of the Criminal Division in the Office of the Attorney General, I built an Organized Crime Unit to investigate and prosecute groups committing crimes of violence across the State. As Delegate, I will build on this experience and proven record of success to  make our communities safe again.  

We need to rebuild the community’s trust in the responsibility of the police to protect and serve us all. We need to bring an end, at long last, to the misguided and inhumane war on drugs that has criminalized rather than treated addiction, and led to the mass incarceration of Baltimore citizens, fueling for too long the break up of families and the erosion of entire neighborhoods. We need to provide a network of support for at-risk young people. And we need to offer an open hand and network of support to ex-offenders when they leave prison and end the cycle back into prisons. 

To end the bloodshed on our streets, I will support State funding to: 

  • Better coordinate local, State, and federal efforts on gun violence and the groups responsible for it.

  • Prioritize and serve open arrest warrants for violent crimes.

  • Expand programs with proven outcomes like Safe Streets and Roca.

  • Expand resources for victims of sexual and domestic violence.

  • Fully staff parole and probation so the agency can better supervise high-risk violent offenders and offer better support to low-risk offenders.

To rebuild trust between our communities and law enforcement, I will:

  • Continue reform that expands and strengthens transparency and civilian oversight of policing and internal accountability of officers.

  • Develop a user-friendly data portal on criminal justice outcomes, so communities can see at a glance crime trends and case outcomes in their community. Work with constituents to identify and support innovative prevention programs through partnerships with public agencies and the private sector.

  • Support the Attorney General’s Office's new role of investigating police-involved fatalities statewide.

To support and implement key policies for excellence in our schools I will work at the City and State levels to: 

  • Invest in wrap-around services for at-risk youth.

  • Advocate for better educational services in juvenile facilities.

  • Expand our use of restorative justice programs.

  • Open recreational and educational centers and increase after-school and summer opportunities.

To close the revolving door of crime, I will: 

  • Create a State-wide prisoner reentry compact model based on best practices that relies on those who have expertise in providing reentry services.

  • Invest in transitional housing and services. 

  • Deepen partnerships with stakeholders to help ex-offenders obtain jobs.

  • Eliminate parole and probation supervision fees. 

— Elizabeth Embry