In a letter sent to Baltimore City’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Council members, Chairman and Baltimore Circuit Judge Charles J. Peters, informed them that the council could be forced to shut down due to state funding cuts. The Baltimore Sun reports:

“The abrupt cessation of funding requires the members of the Council to consider the future status of the CJCC and its operations,” Peters wrote. “Unless any source of funding is apparent, the Council must consider whether its current operations can continue.”

The article explains that Governor Hogan announced he was cutting funding for the council because he did not believe they were “taking violent crime seriously. Hogan would instead redirect the funding to the Mayor’s office for administration. The Chairman disputes that addressing violent crime is part of the charge for the council which was formed in 1999 to coordinate efforts and confront systematic issues among the City’s criminal justice entities.

Read The Baltimore Sun to learn more.

Related coverage from Conduit Street:

Gov. Hogan Terminates Funding for Baltimore Crime Panel

Hogan, City Officials to Discuss Crime in Closed Door Meeting