The 2025 Maryland Legislative Session recently came to an end with lawmakers failing to tackle numerous criminal justice issues. Despite the fact that Annapolis lawmakers have repeatedly expressed a desire to address the inundation of ghost guns, no consequential gun legislation landed on the Governor’s desk. Ghost guns have been…
Retail theft in the Baltimore Washington Metro area has reached critical levels over the past few years, and has resulted in numerous store closings in high crime areas. This trend has also contributed to price increases and a general sense of uneasiness for store employees and shoppers alike. The trend…
Juvenile justice reform continues to be a hot button issue in Annapolis, as lawmakers recently debated measures to decrease the number of cases where minors are charged as adults. In previous legislative sessions gun laws and marijuana dominated the criminal justice headlines, but state policy on these topics is somewhat…
Maryland lawmakers are working toward limiting the powers of District Court Commissioners after a failed attempt to do the same during last year’s legislative session. House Bill 21 specifically focuses on a commissioner’s power to issue an arrest warrant in cases initiated by a civilian complaint. This reform is long…
In 2016 Maryland lawmakers passed a law requiring anyone convicted of DUI or DWI to enroll in the engine interlock program. The engine interlock program requires drivers to install a “blow and go” device on a vehicle they own or operate, obtain a restricted license and then successfully complete a…
The Maryland General Assembly recently passed strict laws aimed at eradicating street racing and exhibition driving, and now the Governor’s signature is all that is needed for the law to take effect as early as June 1 of this year. House Bill 601 and Senate Bill 442 add significant penalties…
The 2024 Maryland legislative session is creeping toward a close, but the details of numerous impactful criminal law bills are still up for debate. No criminal law bill has generated more attention than juvenile justice reform, which has been a hot topic for several years. Last year the General Assembly…
The 2024 legislative session is about halfway through, and Maryland lawmakers are currently debating dozens of criminal and traffic bills that would become law as early as June 1. One bill gaining a decent amount of attention is a measure introduced in both houses to criminalize exhibition driving throughout the…
When recreational marijuana use became legal this past summer police officers were stripped of a major law enforcement tool. Probable cause vehicle searches based solely on the smell of cannabis has over the years resulted in hundreds if not thousands of arrests in Maryland for crimes ranging from drug trafficking…
The Montgomery County Council is determined to crack down on driving while impaired by cannabis, but the method by which to accomplish this goal is still in still very much up for debate. This week members of the Montgomery County Council’s Public Safety Committee met to discuss the issue of…