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-Lurid Crime Tales-

Locking up 'bad guys with guns'

2016-10-25

[BALTIMORESUN] City police and prosecutors have for the last several years preached the need to get "bad guys with guns" off the streets and have announced assorted special efforts to do so, from a "war room" to the recent creation of a new joint unit pairing experienced personnel from the police department and state's attorney's office. Police report they are making far more gun arrests, yet we are poised to exceed 300 homicides for the second year in a row, a rate of killing not seen here since the 1990s.

Part of the explanation for the discrepancy lies in Sun news hound Justin Fenton's investigation Sunday revealing that when people are incarcerated
Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages!
on illegal firearm charges in Baltimore, they are less likely to be held without bail than in the past, their cases are dropped about a quarter of the time before they get to trial, and those who are convicted are given just a fraction of the jail time for which they are eligible, often with large amounts of the sentence suspended. Police Commissioner Kevin Davis has sought help from the legislature to toughen penalties for firearm violations, and it's true that some legal changes might help. State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby says she is working to bring better coordination between prosecutors and police to prevent avoidable errors that lead to cases falling apart. That's part of the solution, too.

But the roots of the problem are deeper. There is a direct line between the failures of authorities to secure consistent jail time for gun crimes and the record of unconstitutional activity and civil rights violations documented by the Department of Justice in its report on the Baltimore Police Department. The statistics-driven policing DOJ Sherlocks described in Baltimore -- a legacy of the zero-tolerance strategy of a decade ago -- has led both to sloppy police work and an attitude of distrust among juries, with the result being that perpetrators are more afraid of what will happen if they don't carry a gun than they are of what will happen if they do.

Posted by:Fred

#6 The left is in love with the "logic" of "get rid of guns, get rid of gun crime."
M. Murcek, I'm thinking it's more sinister than that. Get rid of guns to insure that citizens don't come after the D.C. criminals; in other words so that citizens cannot exercise the original intent of the 2nd amendment if necessary and that is to toss a tyrannical government.

Posted by: JohnQC 2016-10-25 17:41

#5 The left is in love with the "logic" of "get rid of guns, get rid of gun crime." By that "logic," cutting down on minorities committing crimes seems like a problem easily solved. Right?

Posted by: M. Murcek 2016-10-25 15:19

#4 The left believe the primary problem is "too many blacks in jail." How can they crack down on gun crime when doing so makes the "primary problem" worse?

Posted by: The peanut gallery 2016-10-25 15:00

#3 Is this going to be another story about gun control and gun confiscation, you know the story, we have to collect everyone's firearms to control the few thugs who have an illegal gun. I say these apparatchiks should go *&$# yourselves.

Posted by: JohnQC 2016-10-25 09:47

#2 Here's a thought. There needs to be a mandatory minimum sentence - say 5 years in the jug for felons caught in possession of a firearm. The sentence must be served to completion with no time off for "good behavior". The sentence must be served consecutively rather than concurrently with other charges. Also, there is a need to hold Judges and Prosecutors accountable through citizens watchdog groups (ie; MADD Mothers) to deter plea bargins, dismissed charges, or suspended sentences. And in such cases,demand the media focus on the sentence as much as the crime itself. Look, this ain't no panacea but there's no need for new immeasurable laws that only affect the law abiding. For the most part, LE is doing their job enforcing the laws. Now it's time for the suits to step up and do theirs and "We" need to hold them to account.

Posted by: DepotGuy 2016-10-25 09:45

#1 So, in Maryland, if you are dealing with firearms in a legal manner, you are living a nightmare. If you are dealing with them illegally, the justice system has your back. Got it...

Posted by: M. Murcek 2016-10-25 09:16

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