Van Hollen Presses Sessions on Funding to Address Violence in Baltimore

U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen is pressing Attorney General Jeff Sessions to support the City of Baltimore’s efforts to address violent crime. In a letter sent on Wednesday, Van Hollen urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to reconsider Baltimore’s exclusion from the Public Safety Partnership (PSP) Program, which was created last year to help cities address violent crime. The letter comes after Sessions expressed an openness to revisiting this issue in a hearing on April 25^th with Senator Van Hollen. The Senator also raised the issue this week with the U.S. Attorney for Maryland, Robert Hur, at a meeting in the Capitol with the Maryland congressional delegation. The City plans to apply for support in June for the upcoming fiscal year.

 

In his letter, the Senator writes, “Last year, Baltimore City experienced its most violent year on record. The Mayor and the City have launched an initiative to reduce the violence and federal support could significantly strengthen their efforts. I appreciate your efforts to coordinate support for communities through the creation of the Public Safety Partnership Program, which aims to work with local jurisdictions to identify and implement community-based, data-driven methods of violence reduction.”

 

He continues, “Unfortunately, Baltimore City was not included as an initial site for the PSP program. A line of questioning in the August 2017 letter regarding immigrant detention policies has led many to believe that DOJ was imposing additional conditions related to the interaction between the Baltimore City Detention Center and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. While I oppose the additional immigration-related requirements that DOJ has imposed for receipt of PSP support and Byrne-JAG funds, that is not the issue in the case of Baltimore City. As I mentioned at the hearing, the correction and detention facilities in Baltimore City are operated by the State of Maryland, not by the City nor the Baltimore City Police Department.”

 

Senator Van Hollen closed stating, “I appreciate your commitment to reevaluate Baltimore’s qualifications for inclusion in the Public Safety Partnership Program, which provides intensive capacity building training and technical assistance. I also hope to work with you to provide federal funding resources for other violence reduction efforts in Baltimore, which should be centered on evidence-based programs with cooperation from law enforcement, social service government agencies, and non-profit service providers… I look forward to working with you and your team to provide federal support to assist in Baltimore’s community-driven violence reduction initiatives.”

 

The Public Safety Partnership Program provides a framework for the DOJ to enhance its support of state, tribal, and local law enforcement officers and prosecutors in the investigation, prosecution, and deterrence of violent crime, especially crime related to gun violence, gangs, and drug trafficking. It enables cities to consult with and receive coordinated training and technical assistance and an array of resources from DOJ to enhance local violence reduction strategies.

 

A copy of the letter can be found here. The full text of the letter is below.

 

Dear Attorney General Sessions,

 

I am writing to follow up our discussion at the hearing of the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Subcommittee on April 25, 2018, where you expressed your willingness to work with me to direct additional resources and support to Baltimore City to address violent crime.

 

Last year, Baltimore City experienced its most violent year on record.  The Mayor and the City have launched an initiative to reduce the violence and federal support could significantly strengthen their efforts.

 

I appreciate your efforts to coordinate support for communities through the creation of the Public Safety Partnership Program, which aims to work with local jurisdictions to identify and implement community-based, data-driven methods of violence reduction. The Department of Justice’s  (“DOJ”) August 2017 letter to Baltimore City on the Public Safety Partnership Program correctly states that  “[the City] has levels of violence that exceed the national average, […] is ready to receive the intensive assistance the Department is prepared to provide, and […] is taking steps to reduce its violent crime.” 

 

Unfortunately, Baltimore City was not included as an initial site for the PSP program.  A line of questioning in the August 2017 letter regarding immigrant detention policies has led many to believe that DOJ was imposing additional conditions related to the interaction between the Baltimore City Detention Center and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

 

While I oppose the additional immigration-related requirements that DOJ has imposed for receipt of PSP support and Byrne-JAG funds, that is not the issue in the case of Baltimore City. As I mentioned at the hearing, the correction and detention facilities in Baltimore City are operated by the State of Maryland, not by the City nor the Baltimore City Police Department. The City does not have the authority to set immigration-related detention policies at those facilities. 

 

I appreciate your commitment to reevaluate Baltimore’s qualifications for inclusion in the Public Safety Partnership Program, which provides intensive capacity building training and technical assistance. I also hope to work with you to provide federal funding resources for other violence reduction efforts in Baltimore, which should be centered on evidence-based programs with cooperation from law enforcement, social service government agencies, and non-profit service providers.  Federal grant funding, from Byrne-JAG to Second Chance reentry programs to youth mentoring, is critical to leverage state and local resources and implement a comprehensive solution. 

 

I look forward to working with you and your team to provide federal support to assist in Baltimore’s community-driven violence reduction initiatives.

 

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