Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates called a news conference Thursday afternoon to announce the indictments of Sgt. Larry Worsley and officer Walter A. Wilson, both of whom have been with the city police department for about two decades.
He has been a vocal advocate for a bill under consideration in the General Assembly that would lengthen sentences for those over the age of 21 who are convicted of carrying a gun without a permit. That position has put him at odds with guns rights advocates on the right, and criminal justice reform advocates on the left.
One thing Bates makes clear is how difficult it is to go up against a cop in court. The entire system is built to believe cops and distrust the people they’ve arrested. Jenkins’ gig was particularly insidious. He stole from people—some criminals, many not—planted drugs and money on them, and then arrested them. Once they were in the system, he and his merry band of badged marauders had the upper hand. Indeed, at one point, Bates has body cam footage of Jenkins breaking into a victim’s home and it’s not enough to sway a judge.
Bates is behind bills in Annapolis that would increase the maximum sentence for those 21 and older for wearing, carrying or transporting a handgun without a permit in Maryland from three years in prison to five years.
Based on the nonfiction book, I Got a Monster: The Rise and Fall of America’s Most Corrupt Police Squad by Baynard Woods and co-author Brandon Soderberg, this documentary goes deep into the story of the GTTF through the eyes of a dedicated defense attorney, Ivan Bates. Bates represented victims of Sgt. Wayne Jenkins’ uncontrollable, questionable tactics that resulted in mental terror and imprisonment of Baltimore citizens who were literally just minding their business. “No one’s helping. No one’s there. No one’s listening. How could the system fail this badly for this long? The signs were there, we just didn’t pay attention,” Bates states during his opening court statement.
His legislation extends jail time from three to five years for anyone convicted of illegal handgun possession regardless of age, and the proposal is gaining bipartisan lawmakers' support In Annapolis.
Residents want to support legislation that makes their communities safer, while others will mount opposition based on their own agendas. Illegal possession of a firearm is a gravely serious offense and should be treated as such, and this bill allows us to do that. As a public servant elected by the people of Baltimore, I am compelled to stand on the side of the community, which is why I strongly support HB481/SB889.
"This repeat offender was wreaking havoc in our community with no regard for the law," Deputy State's Attorney Thomas M. Donnelly said in a news release. "I applaud ASA Weinberg for these skillful prosecutions that have resulted in the defendant facing steep and necessary penalties for his reckless actions. It is quite evident he should not be free to do this in our communities, and this conviction will ensure that he is no longer a threat to our city.”
Many of them gathered Tuesday in Washington D.C. to discuss that and 11 News spoke with U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume about those talks and next steps to come. Mfume said they had a great discussion in Washington, and there was a realization among everyone there that moving back to the model of prosecuting low-level crimes was the right thing to do.
