The following is an op-ed piece from Glen Geelhaar; Candidate for Maryland House of Delegates District 8.

We’ve all heard the rhetoric, “We cannot arrest our way out of our crime problem.” Sorry, it’s time to put an end to this nonsense!

In 2021, Our District 8 progressive Delegates voted to override Governor Hogan’s Veto of HB 670, stripping our brave police officers of their protections which has since decimated Maryland’s retention and recruiting of Law Enforcement Officers.

In 2023, following the robbery and murder of a Parkville High School student, one of our lefty Delegates took to Facebook to say they will continue to sound the alarm to leaders in Annapolis that we have to invest in our young people through Community Recreation Centers and after school programs. We HAVE to give our young people a different alternative to the streets. FYI, There is a RAC located at 1111 Halstead Rd. in Hillendale (with no educational opportunities, just basketball courts). For the millions of dollars spent on this “crime reduction center,” has this facility actually reduced crime? Sadly, people are afraid to walk on that very street!

During this Legislative session, Delegate Carl Jackson sponsored HB0871, which mandates record-keeping for junk dealers, scrap metal processors, and automotive dismantlers/recyclers regarding catalytic converters. He claims on the social app Nextdoor that this will “stop this ongoing crime epidemic”. However, does anyone besides Delegate Jackson truly believe that imposing laborious record-keeping on law-abiding business owners with no way to punish offenders (many under 17) will reduce crime?

It’s time for legislators to prioritize law enforcement, tough sentences, and imposing fines/penalties for catalytic converter thefts on perpetrators/parents to compensate victims.

Authority: Friends of Glen Geelhaar, Amanda Geelhaar Treasurer