ANNAPOLIS, Md. — "Our job is not to look at local jurisdictions and tell them to do better. Our job is to make sure we're a partner in the work," said Governor Wes Moore.
And that work begins now.
Governor Moore discussed crime, how it's impacting communities, and what his administration is committed to do at the State House Thursday.
Moore says public safety is concern for the entire state.
"Over the last 8 years, homicides and non-fatal shootings have increased to unacceptable high levels all across the state. The data is clear, this is not an urban problem. This is not a rural problem. It's not a Baltimore problem alone. This is a Maryland problem," Moore said.
Moore introduced the man who will help in that policing, Lieutenant Colonel Roland Butler.
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Butler will lead the Maryland State Police, with more than 30 years in policing, Butler will be the first African American Superintendent to hold this post.
"This will not be easy but the women and men of the Maryland State Police are prepared for this," Butler said.
Moore mapped out his strategy. He wants to rebuild law enforcement agencies who are stretched remarkably thin by investing in training and increased recruitment.
He plans to be transparent about the numbers.
"We're going to follow the data and we're going to disrupt crime where it happens, " Moore said.
Crimes like we've seen recently in Towson were a 17-year-old was murdered just this week.
A few weeks earlier, three women were robbed and sexually assaulted.
In Baltimore where we've already seen 38 homicides so far this year.
Moore plans to reconnect city police with the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center or C-MAC.
"The fact that we had an M-CAC operating and Baltimore City was not part of it makes absolutely no sense. That's changed," Moore said.
And the state will be an active partner by investing $122 million in local police departments.
"As a state we will do so through partnerships with all of our 24 jurisdictions by investing in intelligence sharing and also affect investigations and when necessary, directly intervening to disrupt and stop crime," Moore said.
