Baltimore should ‘Capone’ its killers
Originally published in the Baltimore Sun
Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young went hat in hand to Annapolis and Gov. Larry Hogan last Friday, asking for a litany of resources and tools to staunch the bleeding on the streets of Baltimore. With 700 shootings and 220 murders to date, Charm City threatens to mark more deadly milestones in 2019 than in any year in its nearly 300-year history.
Mr. Young is right to ask for help, but he, Police Commissioner Michael Harrison and State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby can swiftly save lives if they act aggressively and promptly.
It’s time to “Capone” Baltimore’s killers – take them off the streets by charging and convicting suspected murderers with other available crimes and jailing them for as long as possible.
In their meeting, the mayor asked Mr. Hogan for a special police unit to target Baltimore’s “top 25 most violent offenders,” but that is a drop in the bucket compared to the many hundreds of identified “trigger pullers” who are suspected to have either killed or attempted to kill city residents.