Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. press release, October 29, 1999

MEWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr Second Congressional District of Maryland 1407 York Road, Suite 304 315 Cannon House Office Building Lutherville, Maryland 2 1 093 Washington, D.C. 205 1 5 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Jill Homan October 29, 1 999 202/225-306 1 Maryland Fraternal Orders of Police Endorse Congressman Ehrlich's Call for Gun Enforcement Program WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. announced that the Maryland State, the Baltimore County, and the Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police Lodges endorsed his request for implementation of a successful gun enforcement program entitled Project Exile. Maryland State Fraternal Order of Police President John A. Bartlett, Jr. stated, “On October 16, 1999, the Board of Directors for the Maryland State Fraternal Order of Police, representing the 1 6,000 professional men and women who serve as Maryland police officers, voted to support Project Exile. “As President of the Maryland State Fraternal Order of Police, I applaud Congressman Ehrlich for his outstanding commitment to rid the Maryland streets of violent criminals and to help make Maryland a greater place to live.” Congressman Ehrlich explained, "Although a relatively new program, Project Exile is based on a simple concept: vigorous and uniform enforcement of existing gun laws. Felons found in possession of guns are prosecuted under harsh federal laws and 'exiled' to out-of-state federal prisons. There is no added burden on already busy state prosecutors and state correctional systems." Currently, Project Exile is working in Richmond, Virginia with the support by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, local businesses, and law enforcement. In 1998, the first lull year of the program, Richmond’s high murder rate plummeted 33% below the 1997 rate. The situation in Maryland is very different. While national crime rates continue to drop, murder rates in some areas in Maryland have actually increased. Baltimore City had 312 murders last year and one of the highest per capita murder rates in the nation. In 1998, the Washington suburbs saw a jump of almost 1 8% over 1997. For the first quarter of this year, the Washington suburbs experienced a 43% increase over the same period in 1998.