Published: September 17, 2009 07:55 pm      

It didn’t work

State gang prosecution law said a failure

Only one successful prosecution has been recorded under a two-year-old law that was aimed at curbing gang activity in Maryland, and it came under a plea agreement.

Therefore, some of our state’s attorneys are asking the General Assembly to revisit the law next January and put some teeth into it.

When we reported last February that local police were informing the public they had identified at least 21 different gangs having 130 members were present in Cumberland, it came as a surprise to most people. The numbers may have grown.

Only 2 1/2 years ago, we asked police about the street gang situation here and were told gangs had come as close as Hagerstown, but did not have a significant presence in Cumberland. Police said it was most likely limited to inmates at the local prisons.

State prosecutors say many of the provisions they supported in the original version of the Gang Prosecution Act of 2007 were stripped from it.

The law makes membership illegal in a gang that is responsible for an ongoing criminal activity, but prosecutors say it fails to adequately define criminal gang activity and does not specifically define what constitutes gang membership.

Prosecutors want the General Assembly to expand the number of crimes that can trigger the law, including assault and destruction of property, and they are seeking mandatory penalties for these crimes.

House Speaker Michael Bush said a law relating to specifically gang members in schools could also be considered.

Maryland’s gang law doesn’t work. Give our prosecutors and legislators credit for realizing that and taking steps to strengthen it.