Governor O'Malley Pledges To Sarah Foxwell, "There Is Still Work To Be Done"

GOVERNOR MARTIN O’MALLEY TO OFFER ‘STATE OF PUBLIC SAFETY’ ADDRESS AT ANNUAL MEETING OF COUNTY LEADERS

CAMBRIDGE, MD (January 7, 2010) – Governor Martin O’Malley will offer remarks at the Maryland Association of Counties Annual Winter Conference in Cambridge tonight where he will outline the “State of Public Safety,” citing 25-year-lows in the state’s homicide rates but acknowledging that the tragedy of Sarah Foxwell reminds us all there is still work to be done.

“Tonight, our hearts are heavy, and our thoughts and prayers go out to Sarah Foxwell, for her family, and for her fellow citizens in Wicomico County and in every part of our State who are stricken by the grief of her loss,” Governor O’Malley will say this evening. “Maryland is undeniably a safer place than it was just three years ago, but we are reminded everyday of the work still ahead. Even in a year when together we’ve achieved historic reductions in homicides and juvenile homicides, Sarah Foxwell reminds us that there is more work that must be done. I am committed to working with members of both parties to build on and strengthen laws -- like Jessica’s Law that I signed in 2007 -- to make sure that our most dangerous predators never have the opportunity to harm a child.”

In 2007, Governor O’Malley signed Jessica’s Law, taking away the possibility of parole for certain sex offenses.

Governor O’Malley will outline a number of positive crime trends, including a 2009 murder rate 26 percent lower than 2006, and 11 percent lower than 2008. Prince George’s County alone recorded 24 percent fewer homicides in 2009 and the year prior. The Governor touted a number of innovative partnerships and initiatives to protect Maryland families and neighborhoods, including:

Eliminating an inherited backlog of 24,000 unanalyzed and 15,000 uncollected DNA samples, making 192 arrests as a result;
Developing an interoperable radio network to connect all law enforcement, first responders, and public safety agencies statewide;
Creating the public safety dashboard which is now connecting 15,600 law enforcement officers and government servants in more than 100 agencies, receiving some 25,000 to 40,000 hits per day;
Connecting all 46 Maryland acute care hospitals to protect citizens from the spread of pandemics;
Creating the Violence Prevention Initiative, collecting 3,000 warrants for Maryland’s most violent offenders;
Developing an information-sharing network on gangs between the Department of Corrections and over 100 partner agencies throughout Maryland.

Yesterday, Governor O’Malley announced Salisbury as the second Maryland Safe Streets Program site, providing more than $156,000 in grant funds to address high incidences of crime in the city and surrounding areas.

Governor O’Malley will also briefly address plans for the upcoming legislative session, including efforts to close a $2 billion deficit in the FY2011 budget.

“We’ve worked to reduce $4.6 billion in state spending and to strategically reduce the size of our state government these past three years,” said Governor O’Malley. “We’ve done so mindful of the challenges you face at the local level, and of the urgency for protecting the very investments our families will need to come out of this recession stronger. Priorities like public education, public safety, and jobs.”