Sarah David says Baltimore County has a ‘unique problem’ with juvenile crime

BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. (WBFF) — A change in leadership is coming to the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office for the first time in nearly two decades, and incoming prosecutor Sarah David is outlining how she plans to tackle some of the county’s biggest public safety challenges, including juvenile crime and cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

But when pressed on whether state lawmakers have made the situation worse through years of juvenile justice reforms, David stopped short of directly criticizing those policies, instead pointing to problems specific to Baltimore County.

In a wide-ranging interview with FOX45 News, David discussed her plans to restructure juvenile prosecutions, bringing accountability for young people, and clarify her position on cooperating with federal immigration authorities.

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Maryland’s juvenile justice system has undergone several legislative changes in recent years, including the Youth Charging Reform Act, which took effect Oct. 1 and changed how certain serious offenses involving 16- and 17-year-olds enter the court system.

Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates has been among the prosecutors publicly criticizing aspects of Maryland’s juvenile justice system and calling for changes.

FOX45 News asked David whether the reforms have improved the system or made matters worse.

“Something to note is that that law went into effect on October 1st, and Baltimore County’s problems had been going on for quite some time,” David said.

FOX45 pressed her, noting that the October law was only the most recent reform and asked about the other changes.

“Baltimore County does have a unique problem, right?” David said. “And I think one of the things that is a challenge when we’re looking at statewide policy is that it doesn’t look at the resources available in each individual county.”

David pointed to what she described as a significant disparity in juvenile misdemeanor offenses between Baltimore County and other Maryland jurisdictions.

“We had less than 4,000 misdemeanor offenses in Baltimore City, about 4,400 in Prince George’s, Montgomery County, which has a much higher population. Baltimore County had 9,000 last year,” David said.

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David acknowledged that not all those offenses reach the State’s Attorney’s Office but argued the numbers illustrate the need for a more strategic approach to juvenile crime. She said the goal should be to intervene when offenses are less serious, before young people graduate to more violent crimes.

David said her administration plans to track juvenile cases more closely, including repeat offenses and whether programs intended to rehabilitate young offenders are actually working.

“My goal is going to be explaining to the public what is happening in the state’s attorney’s office and if there are challenges with programs that we’re sending people to through DJS that aren’t effective,” David responded.

David said collaboration with the Department of Juvenile Services is essential, but she also wants to identify programs that are failing to prevent repeat offenses.

“The ideal is that that is a collaborative relationship,” she said. “We want to work with DJS, we want to make sure that every partner that we can find is helping in the juvenile system, but when that’s not happening, that’s something that we have to talk about as well.”

One change David wants to make is restructuring the county’s juvenile prosecution division.

She said the division currently has only one permanent attorney, with other prosecutors rotating through as part of their career progression.

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David wants a permanent team of experienced juvenile prosecutors and dedicated victim-witness advocates, which she said the division currently lacks.

Another issue that surfaced during David’s campaign was her position on cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

FOX45 asked whether she stood by previous comments that she would not work with ICE.

“We’re going to follow the state law, obviously, and my role is not to handle the immigration issues that come up in Baltimore County,” David said.

Pressed on whether prosecutors should coordinate with federal authorities when violent offenders are involved, David said communication would continue.

“I say to those people of course we’ll have communication with them. Communication and collaboration with federal partners,” she said.

David drew a distinction between working with federal law enforcement and enforcing immigration laws.

“The issue is it’s not my job to check somebody’s immigration status, right? That’s not the role of the state’s attorney,” she said.

David also raised concerns that immigration enforcement fears could discourage victims and witnesses from participating in criminal cases.

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“We also need to be sure that victims and witnesses of crime are feeling that our courthouse is a place where they can come and testify,” she said.

For young people repeatedly cycling through the juvenile justice system, David said her approach will focus on holding offenders accountable while preventing them from committing additional crimes.

“We are committed to a system that is going to ensure accountability. We are also committed to a system that ensures that there are going to be limited opportunities to repeat offend,” she said.

David said her transition team is examining juvenile justice practices in other Maryland jurisdictions and developing recommendations for changes in Baltimore County.

She said the goal is to release a public transition report before or around her January swearing-in, outlining immediate changes and longer-term priorities for the office.

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