Scott to Hogan on update to crime plane: Come to the city

Hogan seeks update on city’s crime plan; mayor invites governor to city

Mayor Brandon Scott fires back, calling governor’s letter ‘publicity stunt’

Updated: 3:52 PM EDT May 27, 2022

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott are again in a war of words, this time over the implementation of the city’s crime plan.While attending the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, the governor sent a letter Thursday to the mayor and Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison, asking how state funding set aside for law enforcement has been and will be spent. | PDF: Read the governor’s letterHogan is alleging no progress is being made, specifically in addressing the rising number of killings. The letter is a blistering critique of the mayor’s crime-fighting plan, saying, ‘At this point, I do not believe anyone — including you — believes it is working.”| RELATED: Hogan commits more state funds to fight violent crime in BaltimoreHe also wants the city to provide an update on the police department’s progress closing warrants on violent offenders.The mayor fired back, calling the governor’s letter a publicity stunt. Dueling statistics back up each other’s claims. Scott is standing up for his crime-fighting plan and reiterates the governor has an open invitation to observe police and programs in action.”We do think that there is progress being made, Dave, but you know, I want even more,” Scott told 11 News on Friday.According to the mayor, February saw a 28% increase in homicides compared to last year; however, as of Friday, Scott claimed homicides are up 2.5% over last year. He contended violent gun seizures are up by 19% and the murder warrant clearance rate is up by 18% compared to last year.| I-TEAM: Baltimore banking on effort to reduce violence through intervention”We wouldn’t be having this conversation today if we didn’t switch tactics over and over again,” Scott said.The governor detailed Maryland State Police presence in the city that includes patrol checks, calls for service, traffic stops and arrests. The governor alleged that when the state police offer investigative aid to the city, they are told none is needed.The mayor rejected that claim, saying, “I will just tell you that it is not true.”The mayor took the governor to task for not bringing up his concerns in person when they spent Saturday at the Preakness. “This was just a publicity stunt because when you want to have a conversation as a man with another man, you do that when you see that man — especially when you are spending the whole day together at Preakness on Saturday. That’s when that conversation should be had,” Scott said. There’s no date or time yet on when the governor and mayor could meet.”I am open to meeting and working with him. We are appreciative of the things that we got. We are appreciative to the support of the Warrant Apprehension Task Force, but we know that we have to continue to do more and do more together, and I’m looking forward to a discussion with him,” Scott said.A gubernatorial spokesman told 11 News he is aware of the mayor’s response and there was “nothing to add at this point.”Baltimore mayor’s statement in response to the governorIn a statement released late Thursday night, the mayor said: “I am confused by the governor’s letter and its request. First and foremost, if the governor wanted to ask me about the crime fight, he could have asked me in person on Saturday, but he chose not to and instead played publicity games with public safety. Moreover, since he’s taken office, two things are true: He has refused to offer Baltimore any meaningful help, and crime has gone up every year. On multiple occasions, I have invited Governor Hogan to come to Baltimore to get a first-hand look at the work our officers and public safety agencies are doing daily. Each and every day, I work to prevent the loss of life in Baltimore city. The governor knows how to help, but he refuses to do so. If the governor wants a briefing, I’ll brief him, and if he wants to take me up on my offer to come to my city and see what we are doing every day, that offer stands.”Let’s begin with some facts: On Feb. 1, Baltimore was 28% above 2021 in homicides and 25% above in non-fatal shootings, and as of this morning, Baltimore is at 2.4% and 8.3% above, respectively. In Baltimore, year-to-date gun seizures are up 11%, violent gun seizures are up 19%, the homicide clearance rate is up 3.7%, and we are clearing warrants quicker than we did in 2021. In partnership with the Warrant Apprehension Task Force (WATF), we have cleared murder warrants in an average of 13 days, which is over an 18% increase from 2021.”Now, I say again: The governor should come to Baltimore and spend some time with me to gain insight and better understand today’s violent crime fight. It would also be great for him to spend time with the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood and Safety Engagement (MONSE) to learn about the Group Violence Reduction Strategy (GVRS) work and to take time speaking with our violence interrupters and Safe Streets workers to understand the challenges they face in the work.”If the governor is curious, I can give him a tour of our new Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and demonstrate the coordination with our CitiWatch cameras and the collaboration with the Watch Center at Baltimore Police Department HQ. It would also benefit the governor to join me on a visit to one of our four Baltimore City Intelligence Centers (BCICs), which are embedded in communities with high violence rates and provide real-time data and intelligence to our officers on the street. This way, he can see the work being done instead of pointing fingers from Switzerland without much effort.”I invite Governor Hogan to visit Baltimore so that we can show him the full extent of our work and make sure he understands the pressing need within our communities to build a safer Baltimore truly.”