2015–2021 Term Report

YEAR
ONE
On January 8, 2015, Marilyn J. Mosby was
sworn in as the 25th State’s Attorney for
Baltimore City, making her the youngest
chief prosecutor of any major American
city. Her first year was marked by many
achievements and challenges as she began
her term. Four months after being sworn in
her swearing in, on April 12th, 2015, Freddie
Carlos Gray, Jr,. an innocent 25-year-old
Black man by the name of Freddie Carlos
Gray, Jr. made eye contact with a police
officer in a high crime neighborhood and
was unconstitutionally arrested, placed into
a metal wagon headfirst, feet shackled and
handcuffed. His spine was partially severed
in the back of that wagon and following a
seven day coma, he died.
This tragic event was the start of the SAO’s
commitment to one standard of justice. On
May 1st, 2015, State’s Attorney Marilyn
Mosby she stood on the steps of the War
Memorial Building to announce criminal
charges against six police officers, - an
unheard of demand for police accountability.
This same year, the Body Worn Cameras pilot
program was introduced in the Baltimore
Police Department and their change in
leadership led to the hiring of a new police
commissioner, Kevin Davis.
As Mosby assumed her new role and began
transforming the office into a model for
progressive, holistic prosecution, she
exemplified the mantra of not just being
“tough on crime” but more importantly
“smart on crime. At this time, the SAO
reached an 80 percent homicide conviction
rate despite a 20 percent increase in the
homicide caseload.
She also reinstated the Community
Engagement division; hired and assigned 10
new community liaisons to each region of
the city; personally attended more than 500
community events, churches, and schools;
and increased SAO grant funding by more
than 27 percent.
CONVICTION RATES
93%
FELONY
93%
MAJOR
INVESTIGATIONS
UNIT
79%
HOMICIDE
95%
SPECIAL
VICTIMS UNIT
7ANGLE-RI Sao at a glance 2015