Ehrlich on Washington column, November 6, 2000

MEWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Second Congressional District of Maryland 1407 York Road, Suite 304 Lutherville, Maryland 21093 315 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 EHRLICH ON WASHINGTON Week of November 6, 2000 By Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Project Exile, A Proven Crime-Fighting Initiative Sadly, Baltimore ranks as the second deadliest city in the nation according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Baltimore’s per capita homicide rate surpasses almost all U.S. cities and is five times that of New York City and more than eight times the national average. Despite new gun control laws, gun buyback programs, and crime tip hotlines, gun-related violence in Baltimore continues to claim record numbers of lives. Many in the law enforcement community are working diligently to address this problem. Programs initiated by the new Baltimore Police Commissioner Ed Norris show a determination to rid our streets of that small portion of the population responsible for gun violence in our communities. A newly formed warrant task force has increased substantially the number of arrests of homicide suspects. Increased police presence in the city’s deadliest districts may have a noticeable impact on the violent crime in those areas. Already this year, city police have removed almost 2,000 illegal guns from the streets of Baltimore. The men and women of the Baltimore Police Department are doing an extraordinary job under the most difficult conditions. But they represent only the first step in the criminal justice system. Temporary incarceration of violent criminals has only a minimal effect on violent crime. Only by implementing a successful crime-fighting program like Project Exile can Baltimore significantly lower its murder rate. Under this nationally proven program, federal prosecutors aggressively prosecute gun-toting criminals leading to lengthy, mandatory, no parole sentences. This year, Congress allocated $75 million in grants to state and local governments for Project Exile-like programs aimed at prosecuting gun related violent crime. An additional $22 million has been allocated for intensive Department of Justice firearms prosecution programs. Maryland officials should use their share of these funds to enact and strengthen programs which punish those responsible for the gun violence. As the 2nd deadliest city in the country, Baltimore now replaces Richmond, Virginia. Several years ago, federal, state and local officials in Virginia decided to come together to implement an effective crime fighting program to clean up Richmond’s gun violence. They started Project Exile, the local federal-state-prosecutorial partnership, which has reduced dramatically violent continued