By Leon Johnson
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Gov. Larry Hogan on Wednesday urged city, county, and state leaders to intensify efforts to reduce violence in Baltimore.
Hogan appeared live on WBAL’s “The C4 and Bryan Nehman Show” to discuss violent crime, getting students back into school, and COVID-19.
Hogan said he met Monday with legislative leaders and plans to meet later Wednesday with Baltimore Mayor Bernard “Jack” Young and the city Police Commissioner.
“I’m trying to talk with these leaders about the necessity for everybody to do whatever it takes to solve this incredibly difficult problem,” Hogan said, adding “This past week or 10 days or so has been devastating and horrific, and we’ve got to get to the bottom of this.”
Baltimore city officials reported 348 homicides last year, more than two thirds of them yet to be solved.
“There’s so many components to this: it’s the lack of prosecution, it’s the lack of any kind of accountability for the people continuing [to commit crimes]—as the commissioner and a couple of past commissioners have said to me, there’s really just a couple of hundred of the most violent criminals that keep doing most of all this shooting,” Hogan told the broadcast audience.
“So we’ve lowered sentencing for a lot of other crimes, and reduced our prison population, and we tore down the Baltimore City jail—we’re putting money into drug treatment and counseling for non-violent crimes, but for these repeat shooters, we’re going to have to get them off the street.”
Hogan also discussed the difficulty of getting school leaders to open doors to students. He said he is encouraged by some officials’ action.
“The state superintendent and I have both pushed and urged and nudged as many of them as possible to return as many kids as we can safely,” Hogan said. “The good news is that two thirds, 16, of the jurisdictions, are at least bringing some kids back in for in-person instruction, so that’s a start.”
When asked if he would take a vaccine to combat COVID-19, Hogan said: “I absolutely would, and I’m very hopeful and positive.”