Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. letter to Janet Reno, February 2, 2000

ROBERT L. EHRLICH, JR. (202) 225-3061 COMMERCE COMMITTEE ASSISTANT DEPUTY MAJORITY WHIP Congress of tfjc Uniteb States Souse of -RepreSentattoeS ©UaSfjmgton, 2ЭС 20515-2002 February 2, 2000 The Honorable Janet Reno Office of the Attorney General U.S. Department of Justice Main Justice Building, Room 5111 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, D.C. 20530 Dear Attorney General Reno: 1410) 838-2517 (410) 284-6828 I am writing to request your support in allocating funds from the FY 2000 budget for the implementation of Project Exile in the district of Maryland. The U.S. Attorney for Maryland, The Honorable Lynne Battaglia, to her great credit, initiated her own program, Disarm, in 1 995 in an effort to combat gun violence in Baltimore and the Washington suburbs. Disarm, which has a higher criteria for federal prosecution of gun crimes than required by law, is less comprehensive and has not produced results comparable to Exile. As you know, approximately $7. 1 million were included in the FY 2000 budget earmarked for gun enforcement programs. The violent gun crime problem in Baltimore has remained unabated with over three hundred murders a year for the past ten years. The City is now in a crisis over the continuing violence. 1 am, therefore, requesting the immediate allocation of funds Ms. Battaglia may deem necessary for implementation of a more comprehensive and effective initiative. Thank you for your assistance in this critical matter. Yety truly yours, „ Robert L. Ehrlidn Member of Congi