The Baltimore City homicide rate has been increasing over the past month, nearly one killed a day, making it a hot topic on the campaign trail this election season.
People who live in the city say they've also seen a rise in things like car break-ins, robberies and assaults in their neighborhoods.
Over Governor Larry Hogan's four years in office, the overall murder rate in the other 23 counties in Maryland has also gone up. With the election less than a month away, the ongoing problem has gotten the attention of Hogan and his Democratic challenger, Ben Jealous.
Jealous says the focus should be taken off of non-violent offenders, in part, by legalizing marijuana and using the money that's raised to pay for pre-kindergarten education.
"We know that every dollar you invest in making sure children show up to kindergarten ready to learn pays dividends for years. And we also know that every state that has legalized cannabis has seen its murders go down," Jealous said.
Hogan says he would take a different approach,
"We've had two mayors and four police commissioners, lots of turmoil and upheaval. I think it's about time for us to get us some stability there and to get somebody really focused on organization and moving forward and making progress."
Hogan says state police have been doing more visibility patrols in baltimore city, and he says more help is coming later this year to address gangs and violence.
