BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley is publicly raising concerns about a recent string of serious crimes involving juveniles across the city, saying the system needs changes that both hold young offenders accountable and gets them services to stop repeat behavior.
Speaking on WBAL Radio, Worley said the focus should not be solely on incarceration.
“It’s not about locking them up, it’s about getting the kids the service that they need…to stop the behavior, yes,” he said.
ALSO READ | ‘It shouldn’t have happened’: Mayor after teens in stolen car trigger mass casualty crash
His comments came after police announced Thursday that several juvenile arrests were made in the last 24 hours. Police said 11 teens were arrested in one day for crimes across the city, including stealing cars and assault. Police said one of the teens was already wearing an ankle monitor, and three others had prior arrests.
Worley called for a serious crackdown on juvenile crime, comparing repeat offenses to patterns he said many people recognize from childhood.
“It’s just like when we kids, if we got away with something, we kept doing it. Not to this scale. No, but still,” he said.
He also pointed to what he described as a need for broader changes within the juvenile justice system.
In a lot of cases, the Department of Juvenile Services has to be the disciplinarian because the kids don’t have another adult in their life. And the system has to be the disciplinarian. And the system needs an overhaul,” Worley said.
One of the most recent incidents Worley highlighted during his radio appearance involved a stolen car driven by teenagers that collided with an MTA bus in east Baltimore last Thursday. Police said the teens in the stolen car ranged in age from 14 to 17. The crash sent 16 people, including the juveniles, to the hospital, with some suffering serious injuries.
At the time of crash last week, Worley told reporters, “I’m always concerned when everything involves juveniles, but, we keep locking them up. They keep end up getting out.”
On the radio Wednesday, Worley discussed the crash again and described his frustration with juveniles repeatedly being involved in violent acts across the city.
“These young people that were in that car the driver had several two stolen autos and I think an aggravated assault. One of the other individuals in the car had a couple of stolen autos…The one individual didn’t have anything, but the third one was also been arrested for I think one offense. So, DJS knows exactly what their records are, we find it out when we take them down there,” he said.
Worley said more must be done to “hold criminals accountable,” while also providing necessary resources.
Follow FOX45 reporter Keith Daniels on X and Facebook. Send tips to Kdaniels@sbgtv.com.
Local Story
