Crime

Witness Intimidation

Every year in Baltimore, known murderers continue to walk our streets every day because we lack the evidence necessary to bring them to justice. After talking to many law enforcement agencies, I believe that by improving the protection for state and local witnesses, we come one step closer to keeping our neighborhoods safe.

To aid in taking that step, I introduced the Witness Security and Protection Grant Program Act of 2009, H.R. 1741 to provide assistance to state and local witness protection and assistance programs. I am proud to say that the bill passed the House with broad bipartisan support and is only steps away from passing the Senate, and moving to President Obama’s desk for his signature.

Witness intimidation is not just a plot line dreamed up on The Wire; the threat is very real, and the reality is horrific. Violent retaliation against witnesses and informants threatens the very fabric of our criminal justice system—and of our communities.

According to the National Institute of Justice, more than half of the prosecutors in large jurisdictions find witness intimidation to be a serious problem. Smaller jurisdictions also feel the weight of this burden, with more than 43 percent of prosecutors in these districts finding witness intimidation to be a major problem. Prosecutors nationwide estimate that witness intimidation occurs in 75 to 100 percent of the violent crimes in some gang-dominated neighborhoods.

My legislation would provide grants to state and local witness protection and assistance units to be used in cases involving homicide, serious violent felonies, and serious drug offenses. The grants would be awarded to prosecutors in cities with an average of at least 100 homicides per year during the most recent five-year period.

The bill would also allow state and local programs to receive technical assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, which protects witnesses as part of the Federal Witness Security Program established in 1970. For the nearly forty years this program has been in effect, not a single witness who followed security procedures was harmed while participating. Cases involving the testimony of these witnesses result in an 89 percent conviction rate.

Every day, there is a new headline of a witness being threatened or killed, in rural and urban areas alike, and yet, our state and local witness protection programs are vastly underfunded and enjoy virtually no federal support. When law enforcement officials are forced to choose between funding investigations or funding costly but necessary witness protection services, nobody wins but the criminals.

Gangs

Gangs are a clear and present danger with no geographical, socio-economic, or racial boundaries. They are not just plaguing our inner cities—we are finding them in increasing numbers in the suburbs, as well. One need not look any further than the 7th Congressional District of Maryland to see examples of this.

Statistics show that gang activity is not limited to Baltimore City. In fact, every precinct in Baltimore County has some form of gang activity, and there are a number of gangs operating in Howard County, including Bloods, Crips, Vatos Locos, and Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), which has the largest presence and which has been linked to serious crimes.

While it is important to ensure that we have laws and harsh penalties in place to fully prosecute those who are committing gang-related crimes, we must also work to prevent gang activity from occurring in the first place. I have hosted several events throughout the 7th District to educate parents, teachers, and other members of the community about the signs and language of gang activity. It is vital that we be able to recognize these signs to ensure that we do not mistakenly dismiss dangerous communication as harmless slang or useless doodling. These forums also focus on how to approach young people to address the topic of gangs, as well as how to report gang activity without becoming a target for retaliation.

Gangs are successful at recruiting our youth because they offer the promise of fulfilling needs that are not being met elsewhere in our children’s lives. This may take the form of providing a “family” for a child who feels neglected or unloved at home, providing a sense of accomplishment for children who are insecure, offering protection, or providing these young people with material belongings they could not otherwise afford. Occasionally, gangs are appealing simply because they offer something to do after school.

Whatever the allure of gangs to our children, we must come together as a community to minimize these risk factors. The number one preventive action we can take to help our children avoid gang involvement is strong parenting. We must be active in their lives, whether it is helping them with their homework, sitting down to eat dinner with them, or just talking to them about the events taking place in their daily lives.

We must be proactive in knowing whom our children are befriending and what they do in their spare time. We must ensure that our children know they are loved and valued. We must keep informed of their progress in school and be in communication with their teachers. We must provide constructive activities to keep them engaged.
I will continue to work at the federal level as well as with our community to do everything in my power to stop the activities of gangs in our neighborhoods.

Drugs

Gangs and crime go hand-in-hand with illegal drug use, and I have long been a leader in working to ensure that we have an effective and efficient national drug control policy. I teamed up with Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) to establish the Congressional Caucus on Drug Policy, of which I am currently Chairman. I believe that we cannot effectively eradicate the drug problem ravaging our communities simply by locking away drug dealers and users. Rather, I believe that we must tackle this issue from all fronts in order for it to be successful—including prevention, treatment, supply reduction, and law enforcement.

National Drug Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske has made it clear that the Obama Administration’s 2010 Strategy, informed by extensive consultation with state and local leaders around the country, will reflect a new focus on efforts to reduce drug consumption in the United States. Moreover, the ambitious Strategy will commit energy and resources where they are needed most: in the areas of prevention, intervention, treatment, recovery, criminal justice innovations, interdiction, and source-country drug control. The result will be a community-oriented approach that encourages citizens as it also empowers them to find solutions to local drug problems.

During my tenure as Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Drug Policy, I led the charge to renew the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), also known as the Drug Czar’s office. This re-authorization of ONDCP, H.R. 6344 (Public Law 109-469) secured funding for critical programs such as High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas and the Byrne JAG, both of which provide necessary funding to law enforcement. It also improved access to buprenorphine, a highly effective, low-risk treatment for opiate dependency that has helped thousands of drug addicts in the 7th District and around the country.

Individuals who suffer from drug addiction deserve the opportunity to access the services needed to fully recover. I have been a strong supporter of such services as the Drug Courts, which offer individuals the opportunity to receive help for their addictions before they commit violent crimes. In previous Congresses, I co-sponsored the Second Chance Act, H.R. 1593, which would provide drug treatment and other necessary services to people in jail so that they may re-enter society as drug-free, tax-paying citizens upon their release.

Sadly, our national drug control policy is unfairly applied, disproportionately impacting African Americans and other minorities. In my commitment to overcome this gross injustice, I have co-sponsored H.R.265,  the Drug Sentencing Reform and Cocaine Kingpin Trafficking Act of 2009, which will fix the discrepancies in mandatory minimum sentences for powder cocaine and crack-cocaine. It also authorizes appropriations to the Departments of Justice (DOJ), the Treasury, and Homeland Security (DHS) for the prosecution of, and for supporting the prosecution of, high-level drug offenses.

Powder cocaine, more commonly used by affluent whites, currently has a significantly smaller mandatory minimum sentence than does crack-cocaine, which is more commonly used by low-income minorities. I have also been working to enlist my colleagues who are working to fight methamphetamine abuse in mostly rural communities to adopt a similar approach toward heroin and cocaine policy—problems more common in urban communities like Baltimore.

There is still much work to be done in the ongoing battle against illicit drug use and abuse in our communities, but I am dedicated to fighting this issue from every angle to ensure the most effective policy possible.

Steroids

Following the admission of steroid use by Baltimore Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts and New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, I sent letters requesting that each athlete partner with me in Powered by ME!, an awareness campaign aimed at teaching youth about the dangers of anabolic steroids and performance-enhancing substances. Both were good enough to join myself and Powered by ME!, to help keep young athletes off performance enhancing drugs.

While we are all guilty of making mistakes, what distinguishes a hero is the acknowledgment of those mistakes and the commitment to learn from them. The courage and integrity demonstrated by both players in their admission to their past steroid use speaks volumes about their character, and I am hopeful they will continue to use the lesson from their mistakes to prevent young fans from making similar errors that could put their health at serious risk.

According to a national survey sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 16 high school students reported ever using illegal steroids in 2003, a nearly three-fold increase from 1 in 45 who reported steroid use in 1993. Experts have estimated that more than 500,000 high school students in the U.S. have used steroids.

Anabolic steroids pose special medical risks to youth; by interrupting normal hormone levels, the drugs can send a signal to the bones to stop growing, stunting growth and leading to serious psychiatric disorders. Steroid use among teenagers is also associated with a range of potentially dangerous behaviors, including risky sexual activities, carrying a weapon, and driving under the influence of alcohol.

The ripple effect caused by steroid abuse in professional sports extends far beyond the individual user and questions of fairness in the game. When the issue of steroid abuse is kept quiet, it is our young people—trying to emulate these professional athletes—who suffer.

Powered by ME! is a unique campaign in the Baltimore area developed by St. Joseph Medical Center in conjunction with myself and a number of partners and volunteer experts, including athletes, coaches, and medical professionals, focused on educating middle and high school students, parents, coaches, and teachers about the serious side effects, dangers, and alternatives to anabolic steroids and supplements.

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