Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. statement, August 21, 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 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Jill Homan August 2 1 , 2000 202/225-306 1 A Statement by Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Regarding Project Exile and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms "The murder rate in Baltimore is increasing and I have been calling for drastic changes to the way we deal with violent criminals for some time. Because the Congress has passed very tough penalties for convicted felons caught with guns, I have been a strong advocate for prosecuting criminals in the federal courts. The sentences are longer and there is no parole. For more than one year, I have been calling on the United States Attorney for Maryland, Lynne Battaglia, to become more aggressive in prosecuting criminals caught with guns. "United States Attorneys from many areas around the country have done exactly that. Project Exile and Project Exile-like initiatives have succeeded in dramatically lowering crime and murder rates. "Inexplicably, the U. S. Attorney here in Maryland has resisted all calls for tougher prosecution of criminals arrested with guns in their possession in Baltimore. She insists that the standards and procedures in place today are adequate. But, unlike most major cities, the murder rate in Baltimore is skyrocketing and the streets have a feeling of being increasingly unsafe. The bottom line is this: whatever is being done in Baltimore is not working. "In an effort to better understand crime in Baltimore, I asked the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms — the U. S. Government’s lead law enforcement agency for gun crimes — to provide me with regular, monthly crime statistics reports. The U. S. Attorney, who has resisted my calls for stepped up prosecution, then blocked the BATF from providing any such information and excluding the Bureau from the arrests review process. "After I complained to the U. S. Department of Justice, she reversed course and the BATF is now again a part of the process. "Last week, I learned an internal affairs investigation of three BATF employees who have worked closely with me and my staff on the monthly crime reports has begun. Miss Battaglia