Carroll County is not a hotbed for the most hardened of criminals. Carroll, in fact, has one of the lowest crime rates in the state. But it doesn’t mean that some aren’t here and that these repeat offenders don’t need to be dealt with swiftly and effectively.
It’s with this in mind that we are pleased to see Carroll County State’s Attorney Brian DeLeonardo’s creation of a Major Offender Unit, designed to go after repeat criminals, particularly those who are violent and/or those who are dealing drugs in local communities. Funding for it comes from the Not in Carroll program, a $2.2 million, three-year effort approved by county commissioners to provide education and drug enforcement dollars to local agencies.
The unit, which will consist of three prosecutors and an investigator tasked with working with local police, will identify these major offenders and then work to get them off the streets and out of the community for as long as possible. Those offenders might be repeat criminals, drug dealers or anyone who might be causing a continual problem for a community. DeLeonardo has brought in Jason League as senior assistant state’s attorney to oversee the unit. League has spent more than 30 years as a prosecutor in the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office. In addition to funding the unit, Not in Carroll dollars are also helping the Sheriff’s Office hire five new deputies.
This announcement was made at a fortuitous time. This Wednesday, Sept. 9, officials from many county government agencies are meeting at the Carroll County Public Library’s headquarters in New Windsor to look for ways that they can join forces to battle the ever-growing drug problem in the county. “This is a way for the agencies to interact together to know what we are all doing,” Commissioner Stephen Wantz, host of this event, told us. DeLeonardo will be one of those in attendance.
These partnerships are not new to the State’s Attorney’s Office. Just recently, they entered into a partnership with Carroll Hospital and the Sheriff’s Office to distribute drug treatment cards. Widening the net to include more county agencies in the fight against drugs only makes your chance of winning it greater. It also helps to get the word out about treatment options for those who are willing to accept it.
But the reality is that drugs and drug distribution takes much more than treating those who suffer from addiction. The county’s only murder trial this year ended with the swift conviction of a man who killed another over what was a dispute in Gamber over drugs. Less-heinous crimes, such as assaults and simple thefts, are also rooted in drug issues. Often, police say, they see the same people involved over and over again. This is where the Major Offender Unit comes in.
Because, ultimately, we need to help those who will accept the help. And for those who repeatedly reject the help, they need to be off the street and behind bars.
