Baltimore County State’s Attorney

A: I believe the State’s Attorney must be the leader of public safety in Baltimore County — not simply reacting to crime, but driving a proactive strategy to prevent it, strengthen communities, and deliver real results. I grew up in Baltimore County Public Schools and now raise my own children here, which is why I am committed to building a safer future for every family in our county.My career has prepared me to lead on the toughest public safety challenges. After studying conflict resolution and Arabic abroad, I joined the New York City Police Department’s Counterterrorism Division and the Joint Terrorism Task Force, where I worked on active terrorism investigations and helped develop strategies to prepare officers and communities for emerging threats. I later earned my law degree from the University of Maryland Carey School of Law, clerked on Maryland’s Appellate Court, served as a prosecutor in Baltimore City, and worked with the Maryland Legislature to modernize laws addressing crimes like emerging threats involving artificial intelligence. Today, I am the second-in-command in a state agency that prosecutes political corruption, police misconduct, and election law violations across Maryland. I continue to try cases while managing our litigation, budgets, legislative initiatives, partnerships, and statewide initiatives.As State’s Attorney, I will bring strong leadership, accountability, and innovation to build a safer Baltimore County through prevention, community trust, and measurable results.

A: The number one issue facing the State’s Attorney’s Office is restoring public trust while ensuring consistent and effective prosecution. Public safety depends not only on holding offenders accountable, but also on whether victims feel supported, witnesses feel protected, and residents believe the justice system is fair, transparent, and reliable.Too often, people do not understand how prosecutorial decisions are made, and inconsistent outcomes in similar cases can erode confidence in the system. At the same time, prosecutors and staff are managing growing caseloads, increasingly complex crimes, and rising demands for communication and accountability with systems that are often outdated.As State’s Attorney, I will address this challenge by modernizing the office and leading with transparency, accountability, and measurable results. I will implement data-driven practices to improve consistency in case handling, strengthen victim and witness services, and ensure the office communicates more effectively with the public. I also believe the State’s Attorney must focus on prevention, not just prosecution, by partnering with schools, law enforcement, mental health providers, and community organizations to address the underlying causes of crime.The State’s Attorney must be a visible leader in public safety — someone who builds trust, improves systems, and delivers results that residents can see and measure.

A: Perception and reality do not always align when it comes to crime, but both matter. Residents deserve accurate information about public safety, and they also deserve leaders who take their concerns seriously. Even when crime statistics improve in certain areas, people may still feel unsafe because of high-profile incidents, social media, repeat offenders, or a lack of trust in the system. At the same time, there are real public safety challenges in Baltimore County, including violent crime, illegal firearms, cybercrime, and crimes impacting young people.As State’s Attorney, I believe it is important to be honest and transparent about both the data and the lived experiences of residents. Public confidence increases when people understand what is happening, how decisions are being made, and what results are being achieved. That means regularly sharing data with the public, having strategic public affairs efforts to explain prosecutorial priorities, and measuring outcomes in ways the public can understand.I also believe the best way to address fear of crime is through visible, effective leadership and measurable action. That includes aggressively prosecuting violent offenders, strengthening victim and witness support, and investing in prevention efforts with schools, community organizations, and mental health and addiction partners.People should not have to guess whether their community is safer. The State’s Attorney’s Office should be able to show them through transparency, accountability, and results.

A: I believe the State’s Attorney’s Office must modernize both its operations and its approach to public safety. This is not the same county it was twenty years ago, and we shouldn’t have the same State’s Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors today face increasingly complex challenges, including cybercrime, illegal firearms, mental health crises, and crimes involving emerging technologies, but many offices still rely on outdated systems and inconsistent practices.As State’s Attorney, I would implement a more data-driven and transparent approach to prosecution. That includes modernizing case management systems to improve efficiency, track outcomes, and ensure greater consistency across similar cases. I also believe the office should regularly measure performance using data related not only to convictions, but also victim engagement, case resolution times, recidivism, and community outreach.I would strengthen victim and witness services by improving communication and ensuring people feel informed, supported, and respected throughout the legal process. Building trust with the public must be a priority.I also believe the office must focus more heavily on prevention by expanding partnerships. When I worked at the NYPD, a key aspect of our counterterrorism mission was community partnerships, and the same is true for Baltimore County. We can build prevention and solutions together. Finally, modernization means investing in prosecutors and staff through better training, leadership development, and management practices to improve retention, morale, and long-term performance across the office.

A: My plan for juvenile crime in Baltimore County is one that is both tough and smart. The goal of addressing juvenile crime is not only to respond to behavior in the moment, but to change trajectories and keep young people from deeper system involvement. Baltimore County leads the state in juvenile misdemeanors and arrest and the status quo is not making our community safer. On the question of restorative versus retributive justice, I don’t see it as an either-or choice. For juveniles, especially first-time and lower-level offenders, I believe strongly in diversion and restorative approaches where appropriate. That can include accountability programs, restitution, community service, counseling, and structured interventions that actually address behavior rather than simply labeling it.But restorative justice only works when there is also credibility. For repeat offenders or more serious violent conduct, there must be clear, consistent consequences. The system loses legitimacy when outcomes feel inconsistent or when patterns of behavior are not addressed with appropriate seriousness.A key part of my plan is improving coordination between law enforcement, prosecutors, schools, and community partners so that we can identify patterns early and respond appropriately. Right now the State’s Attorney’s Office provides no data on this important issue and that needs to change. I believe we need to be more transparent with the public about what is actually happening—both the data on juvenile crime and the steps being taken to address it—because perception often grows where information is missing. Ultimately, the goal is safer public spaces today and fewer young people entering the justice system tomorrow through accountability, structure, and real opportunity for change.

A: Technical experience: I have prosecuted thousands of cases ranging from simple misdemeanors to complex felonies.Management experience: 10 years day to day management experience in an agency of appx 400.Leadership experience: proven ability to take vision and execute - created the formal conviction integrity program, nationally recognized subject matter expert on conviction integrity.I’ve got the proven experience necessary to run the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office successfully from Day 1.

A: Lack of community engagement; lack of confidence in the elected State’s AttorneyWhen community confidence in leadership plummets, the root cause is almost always a breakdown in transparency, presence, and communication. A lack of community engagement signals to the public that their voices and safety are secondary. Rebuilding that trust requires shifting from a top-down model to an accessible, accountability-driven approach.To bridge this gap, leadership must implement a proactive strategy focused on visibility and structural reform.1. Institutionalize Public OutreachEngagement cannot be an afterthought. Establishing a dedicated, permanent community engagement arm within the office ensures continuous, two-way dialogue. By embedding staff directly into neighborhood conversations, leadership transitions from an isolated entity into a true stakeholder.2. Drive Radical Transparency Through DataThe fastest way to combat doubt is with objective facts. Launching public-facing data dashboards eliminate guesswork. When the public can see what is working—and where challenges remain—it fosters institutional accountability.3. Maintain a Proactive, Not Reactive, PresenceLeadership must be visible where the community naturally gathers, but not for merely a photo op. Implementing regular listening tours, town halls, and routine meetings with neighborhood associations and faith leaders shifts the dynamic from defensive crisis management to collaborative problem-solving.The Bottom LineConfidence isn’t restored by promises; it is rebuilt through consistent, measurable accessibility. True leadership means being tough enough to tackle complex challenges, fair enough to prioritize transparency, and present enough to look the community in the eye while doing it.

A: Yes. To our community members, crime is crime whether it is reported or not, an arrest is made or not, or whether there is a prosecution. We have an incumbent who publicly insists there is no crime problem and a challenger who does not appear to be aware that the State’s Attorney role is a crime fighting role. This is the reason why I am running to be the next Baltimore County State’s Attorney. Community engagement is the first step - our community does not deserve to be gaslit.

A: Website and utilization of data analytics via dashboards. The Community shouldn’t have to wait for an election or a crisis to know what your State’s Attorney’s Office is doing. This dashboard puts the evidence of our work directly into your hands.Proactive Public Safety: By using predictive analytics internally, we can deploy specialized prosecutors to target specific spikes in crime—such as domestic violence or repeat juvenile offenses—before they devastate more families.Fiscally Responsible Justice: Data analytics will pinpoint internal bottlenecks, cutting through bureaucracy, reducing case backlogs, and ensuring tax dollars are being spent efficiently to deliver swift, certain justice.A modern State’s Attorney’s Office must be both tough and fair in its application of justice. But to truly serve the people, it must also be transparent. By launching an open-data dashboard, we are ending the era of guesswork. We are proving our commitment to safety and fairness with hard facts, and inviting the community to hold us accountable.

A: The juvenile justice system prioritizes rehabilitation by design. As I currently do everyday as a prosecutor already, when appropriate, we will continue to pursue outcomes in cases which divert juveniles - or any criminal offenders - out of the justice system. The key is that we cannot afford to forgo accountability altogether, but we must always ensure fairness and justice in outcomes. Especially in the juvenile system, I will always prioritize ways to divert juveniles out of the system. Punitive outcomes are a last resort in juvenile cases.

A: 19 years leading this office overseeing 65 Attorneys and 90 Support Staff. Preparing and staying within our budget and advocating in Annapolis for good laws for victims of crime and laws to hold defendants accountable.

A: Having more staff to prepare the cases. We are currently in the Budget process trying to get more staff.

A: Violent crime is down. 2025 we had only 28 Murders. That was the lowest in 5 years. Nonfatal shootings fell over the last 4 years. With those low numbers you are safe here in Baltimore County. Yet the press emphasizes every case and makes it seem worse than it is.

A: I always want to add more staff. The office is very modern with advanced technology both at our desks and in the Courtrooms.

A: We prosecute violent juveniles as adults when the law permits. In the Juvenile system, they need more programs to help the juveniles when they commit non-violent crimes to get them help so we don’t continue to see them committing more crime.