Shell Casing Database Failure
For the past 15 years, Maryland has required gun manufacturers to submit a bullet casing shot from every handgun to be sold in the state to authorities. The analytics from the casings would be logged into a database of “ballistic fingerprints” that could be used to solve future cases. Unfortunately, the database never helped solve any crimes, so Maryland has officially declared the project a failure and stopped the documentation of shell casings. Now, Maryland State Police must figure out what to do with the hundreds of thousands of shell casings stored in their Pikesville headquarters.
Baltimore/Washington Maglev
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has secured close to $30 million in startup funds to begin studying the possibility of a high-speed maglev rail line connecting Baltimore and D.C. According to state officials, the grant can be used for both planning and engineering costs. The magnetic technology employed by maglev trains allows them to travel at ultra-fast speeds on a cushion of air. Hogan said in a statement, “the ability to travel between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. in only 15 minutes will be absolutely transformative, not just for these two cities, but for our entire state.”
Baltimore Homicides
For the first time since 1999, Baltimore is poised to surpass 300 homicides in a year. As of this weekend, the city was up to 294 homicides with roughly six weeks left in the year. According to data collected by The Baltimore Sun, “as of the end of October, homicides were up 55 percent citywide year over year, and nonfatal shootings were up 76 percent.” The Sun also reported that “citywide robberies were up 15 percent at the end of October — with business robberies up 125 percent, carjackings up 79 percent and street robberies up 14 percent, according to city data. Burglary was up 11 percent.”