The Maryland General Assembly is considering legislation, backed by Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates, that would mandate longer prison sentences for illegal gun possession. Heather Warnken, executive director of the Center for Criminal Justice Reform at the University of Baltimore School of Law, and Joseph Richardson, a professor of African-American studies and anthropology at the University of Maryland, say longer sentences will only serve to damage communities while having little or no deterrent effect on gun violence.
Sponsors and supporters of the bill say it would help people who were incarcerated and later released reintegrate into society and make Maryland jury pools more representative.
Baltimore County Detective Jonathan Chih sustained critical injuries when police say he was shot by David Emory Linthicum on Feb. 9, on the second day of manhunt for the gunman.
Belzer died Sunday at age 78. His John Munch character on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and "Homicide: Life on the Street" was a Baltimore weirdo to this writer - in the most endearing way.
Bautista dealt with right shoulder fatigue toward the end of the 2022 season, and his campaign ended on the injured list when he suffered a sprained left knee.