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Tonight, communities across the state and country will participate in National Night Out – America’s Night Out Against Crime. Under Governor O’Malley’s leadership, Maryland’s violent crime rate dropped to its lowest level since 1975. Public safety is too important to be ignored as Bob Ehrlich did when he was in office. Bob Ehrlich needs to explain the colossal failure of his administration to process and analyze DNA samples, effectively allowing hundreds of violent criminals to remain on the streets.
Ehrlich left office with a backlog of 24,000 unanalyzed and 15,000 uncollected DNA samples. After inheriting this mess, Governor O’Malley allocated the necessary resources to eliminate the backlog, leading to case closures and arrests of violent fugitives. In 2009 alone, 103 murderers, rapists, and other criminals who might otherwise be walking the streets were arrested thanks to DNA technology.
The Baltimore Sun recently praised the O’Malley administration’s handling of the DNA backlog:
“Governor O’Malley’s administration has made some important policy shifts in public safety,” including “a renewed focus on closing Maryland’s backlog of unanalyzed DNA samples.”
Bob Ehrlich’s incompetence prevented Maryland from putting hundreds of violent criminals behind bars. Marylanders deserve to know why the Ehrlich administration failed to process thousands of DNA samples that could have convicted rapists and murderers. Until Ehrlich comes clean on this vital issue, how can Marylanders trust him to put public safety first?
Governor Martin O’Malley issued this statement today following the unanimous affirmative vote in the Montgomery County Council making the Purple Line part of Montgomery County’s Master Plan. With public input, the Montgomery County Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the updated Purple Line Functional Master Plan:
I applaud members of the Montgomery County Council for their leadership in helping to move the Purple Line forward and improve cross-county mass transit access in Maryland and the Washington suburbs. The unanimous decision to approve the Purple Line Functional Master Plan sends a clear message, with one voice, that the Purple Line is a transportation priority for Montgomery County and its residents. The vote firmly supports the alignment we announced last summer and the county will now incorporate the Purple line in its planning and development decisions going forward. From a perspective of energy conservation, reducing Beltway congestion and improving quality of life, the Purple Line is an important facet of Maryland’s commitment to facilitating smart and sustainable growth.
The plan for the 16-mile light rail line between Bethesda in Montgomery County and New Carrollton in Prince George’s County addresses station locations, alignment of the route and calls for added access points to the adjacent Capital Crescent Trail. The Maryland Transit Administration has submitted the Purple Line to the Federal Government for approval and to allow it to compete for federal funding.
