Prince Frederick, MD – Two laws passed in 2014 by the Maryland General Assembly have proven to be ineffective, officers told a recent meeting of Calvert Neighborhood Watch. Both measures involve drug arrests.
Legislation to remove criminal penalties from possession of small amounts of marijuana was passed and signed into law last year, and took effect in October. The measure imposes civil fines, as opposed to criminal penalties and possible jail time, on individuals possessing less than 10 grams of marijuana.
According to Sgt. Rosemary King of the Maryland State Police (MSP) Prince Frederick Barrack, her agency issued 32 civil citations for small marijuana possession between October and the end of January. Only two individuals cited have paid the fine.
“There’s no bite in it [law],” said King.
The other new law that has proven vexing for police is the Maryland Good Samaritan Act. According to King and Dfc. Justin Livingston of the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, heroin overdoses continue to occur and law enforcement officers cannot charge the individual who overdoses. As a result, many heroin users who recover from an overdose are still using the drug.
King later suggested that lawmakers need to consider tweaking both laws. She added that the heroin that is available on the street is “cut strong” so the overdose incidents are not expected to abate anytime soon.
During Calvert Neighborhood Watch’s February meeting, sheriff’s office Detective Greg Cameron said approximately 15 burglaries were reported and investigated by the agency during January. Some of the burglaries occurred at vacant houses and involved the theft of copper. The precious metal sells quickly, Cameron reported, and the perpetrators are fencing the stolen copper. Another item that has been targeted by thieves is a camper battery. Several have been stolen and the thefts are initially hard to detect by camper owners.
Cameron said there is one “salvage shop” in Calvert and the owners of the operation “work well with us,” reporting suspicious transactions.
It was announced at the meeting that Calvert Neighborhood Watch is in the process of developing a Facebook page. “We’re going to see how it goes,” said Calvert Alliance Against Substance Abuse Coordinator Candace D’Agostino, who also supervises the local Neighborhood Watch. She explained the Facebook page would be used as a way to get information out more quickly to program participants.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com