Gov. Wes Moore (D) is ordering a surge in law enforcement presence in Baltimore, following weeks of sparring with President Donald Trump (R) and his threat to deploy troops to deal with crime in the city.
Neither Moore nor Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D) mentioned Trump by name Friday as they announced plans for a “renewed collaboration” between the Baltimore City Police Department and the Maryland State Police. But many of their remarks responded to charges by Trump, who recently called Baltimore a crime “hellhole.”
Moore said violent crime has been dropping over the last few years in Baltimore, and that the increased police resources will continue efforts to bring down violent crime even further.
“We are proud of the progress that we’ve been able to make, and we’re all very, very concerned about how much work still needs to happen,” Moore said. “If one person does not feel safe in their neighborhood, that is one too many.”
The announcement came at a news conference outside St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, after a brief walk through the Park Heights neighborhood by officials. Despite his high-profile public feud with the president, Moore insisted that Friday’s announcement was not “inspired” by recent comments by Trump.
“Nothing we do is inspired by the president,” he said, in response to reporters’ questions.
While it may not have been inspired by Trump, Friday’s announcement included repeated references to the president’s continued threats to deploy the National Guard to Baltimore and other large cities, as he has done in Washington, D.C., over the last month.
Moore has repeatedly pushed back on the use of National Guard troops for crime prevention, arguing that Guard members are not trained for policing and that such a deployment would be disrespectful to them and of little benefit to residents.
“We do not need an occupation. We do not need people putting in performative and theatrical resources because they do not care about the actual results,” Moore said.
Trump, who deployed Guard members and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles in June to quell immigration protests, followed up last month by sending the National Guard into Washington, D.C. The D.C. Guard members, along with Guard units from six Republican states, have been backing up local police, but have also been involved in removing homeless encampments and aiding with immigration arrests.
In recent weeks, Trump has dangled the possibility of entering other cities, like Baltimore and Chicago, that he said were “so far gone” in terms of violent crime. The list has continued to grow, with New Orleans and Portland, Oregon, the most recent potential targets.
Moore shot back on Aug. 21 at the president’s suggestion that troops should be deployed to Baltimore, telling Trump to “keep our names out of your mouth.” Moore also invited the president Trump to come walk the streets of Baltimore to get a firsthand look at the city’s crime prevention efforts.
The back-and-forth has continued since, with Trump again disparaging Baltimore earlier this week, saying that Moore needs to “get rid of the criminals” in the city.
“These are hard-core criminals,” Trump said at a Tuesday press conference. “They’re not going to be good in 10 years, in five years, in 20 years, in two years they’re going to be criminals. They were born to be criminals.”
Scott also did not name the president in his Friday comments but clearly referenced those comments and pushed back against Trump’s threat to deploy the National Guard in Baltimore.
“We do not need troops on our streets,” Scott said. “We do need folks who want to be at the table to recognize that the people of Baltimore are humans — that our young people are not born to be criminals. They’re resources to invest in, not problems to be solved.”
Scott has a personal connection to the area where the press conference took place: He grew up in the Park Heights neighborhood, and said that he witnessed a shooting in the area growing up.
“None of us are celebrating, saying that we have solved gun violence,” Scott said, adding that the use of the Maryland State Police will help provide more government resources and allow the use of evidence-based policies targeted to a continued reduction in crime.
Maryland State Police Superintendent Col. Roland L. Butler Jr. said with the renewed partnership, “there will be no daylight” between the state police department and the city police.
“We intend to go out and provide the services that you need to feel safe,” Butler said, “and enhance the safety you already feel.”
Baltimore City Police Commissioner Rich Worley agreed.
“Adding additional resources to our neighborhoods is one important step towards creating safer communities and improving the quality of life in our city,” he said. “We have work to do, especially in communities like park heights.”
