Commissioner says juvenile offenders removing monitors, continuing to commit crime

Baltimore, MD (WBFF) — When asked, Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said repeat juvenile offenders remain a concern.

Worley spoke with FOX45 News following his attendance at the Baltimore City Council Public Safety hearing at City Hall Tuesday.

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“We still have too many issues with our young people committing crimes and then being put right back out on the street just to commit another crime,” said Worley. “I know we don’t want to incarcerate everyone, but sometimes these kids need some discipline. If you keep putting them out there on the street, they’re either going to hurt themselves, hurt someone else, or they’re going to ruin their future because eventually they’re going to hit 18 and they’re going to start being adults. And once you start getting arrested as adults don’t, they don’t come off your record.”

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Worley brought up the recent arrest of a 15-year-old who investigators said carjacked a man on a scooter that police later tracked to a home.

Inside, investigators said, was the 15-year-old suspect as well as a 14-year-old who was also wanted by police.

“We were chasing another juvenile for a crime, and we found the one who had cut his ankle monitor off in the same house,” said Worley.

According to Baltimore Police, the 14-year-old was on an electronic monitor for a robbery back in 2025, and had at least 10 prior arrests.

“Are electronic monitors effective on juveniles?” questioned Alexa Ashwell.

“I am not a fan of them because we continue to arrest young people with monitors on, and also young people with monitors that have been cut off. This same individual that we’re talking about that was released after multiple robberies, cut his ankle monitor off. It’s frustrating because you want the best for these young people, but sometimes they need to feel some penalty. We want them to become productive adults, but just continuing to put them out there to commit crimes and just mess up their lives moving forward is not the answer.”