EXCLUSIVE: Governor Moore sits down to discuss violent crime, plans for the Eastern Shore

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – With less than two months left in his first year in office, 47 ABC News got the chance to sit down for an exclusive interview with Maryland Governor Wes Moore.

In the Governor’s Reception Room at the State House in Annapolis, we met Governor Moore to discuss his plans to combat the crisis of gun violence, tackle the toll of inflation, and the investments he says he’s prepared to make on the Eastern Shore.

“We have a real violence problem in our state,” Governor Moore stressed. “We’ve gone eight straight years where we watched the murder rate in the State of Maryland nearly double.”

At the heart of our conversation with the Governor was the issue of gun violence across the state, an issue that has been top of mind for many Marylanders who feel it’s out of control.

As Marylanders turn on their televisions, tune their radios, or pick up their papers to view the news, headlines of homicides, shootings, assaults, and robberies have become the norm. This is something Governor Moore tells us has to change.

“I think we’ve got to take this seriously, and we can’t just demand results,” Governor Moore said in response to us asking if his predecessor, Governor Larry Hogan, could have done a better job to tackle violent crime over the course of his two terms. “We can’t just urge the legislature to do more, we’ve got to all do our part.”

When it comes to the issue of violent crime, and gun violence specifically, Governor Moore tells us his administration has taken an aggressive approach.

“When we came onboard, our administration has been very aggressive on this,” Governor Moore emphasized. “I’m not going to stop. It’s the reason why we put $122 million into local law enforcement.”

On the Eastern Shore, state’s attorney’s, sheriff’s, and local law enforcement alike have been very vocal that something needs to be done to curb the issue of violent crime, specifically among juveniles. Earlier this year, Wicomico County State’s Attorney Jamie Dykes criticized legislation that prevents police from being able to charge minors under 13, as well as additional restrictions that were placed on police interacting with minors up to the age of 18.

Governor Moore says he’s aware of their concerns and ready to find a solution.

“My answer to them is: I hear you and we’re ready to work together,” Governor Moore said. “I trust the work of our state’s attorneys, I trust the work of our law enforcement officers, I trust the feedback they’re giving us and I know that we’ve got to move in coordination and in support of them in order to get the job done.”

Governor Moore tells us that includes doing more to prevent crime from happening in the first place.

“How you’re thinking about intelligence sharing? How are you thinking about usages of technology in cameras?,” Governor Moore asked. “But it also means making historic investments in our public education system. It means doing things like workforce development and workforce training because we have to give our young people pathways.”

That means working with Maryland lawmakers to make a difference.

“I do think there are some challenges to some of the laws that were passed before I became the Governor,” Governor Moore emphasized. “We are going to have to work in partnership with the legislature to be able to make some adjustments.”

Also at the heart of concern for many is how to prevent mass shootings.  Over the summer, Maryland saw two mass shootings take place within days of each other – one in Baltimore and one in Salisbury. During the early morning hours of July 5, 2023 gunfire rang out on Chippewa Boulevard in Salisbury, killing one and injuring seven others, an incident that sent shockwaves across the shore.

While there were some who criticized the Governor’s handling of Salisbury’s mass shooting when compared to Baltimore, Governor Moore said his administration was up all night to make sure resources were readily available.

“Our response on both was how are we going to be aggressive on it?,” Governor Moore said. “We had made sure that we deployed state resources to both locations before the sun came up, and so I know that if people wanna criticize for the fact they said our administration is aggressive on this, I’ll take that criticism because we are.”

While combating gun violence remains a top priority for Governor Moore, a prime concern for his administration is also finding ways to improve infrastructure on the Eastern Shore.

“I believe, deeply, in the promise of the shore. I wanna be a Governor that the shore can rely on,” Governor Moore stated. “It’s both how we’re thinking about transportation options, how we’re thinking about roads and bridges, but it’s also how are we thinking about infrastructure for the Bay? How are we making sure that the Bay is clean and protected?”

Governor Moore’s infrastructure initiatives also include a big promise when it comes to broadband.

“We’ve got to get broadband and WiFi all throughout the shore, so we don’t have a situation where as you’re traveling from one county to another on the shore, it’s like ‘oh, the phone just went out’ or the internet just went down,” Governor Moore said. “Honestly, it’s not fair, right? If you’re gonna have sustainable economic growth, you’ve got to make sure that every part of the state can benefit from it. I want the entire state wired by the end of my first term.”

Marylanders across the state are living paycheck to paycheck, finding it hard to buy groceries, afford their rent, and their energy bills. We asked the Governor what his plans were to improve the quality of life for people who are struggling to get by.

“We’ve gotta make sure that people are getting paid fair wages for their work, which helps to ease how the cost of things is actually impacting people,” Governor Moore stated.

The Fair Wage Act of 2023, a priority for the Governor during his first year in office, was passed earlier this year. This will see the state’s minimum wage rise to $15 an hour starting in January – something small businesses have historically struggled with.

“For a lot of small businesses it was actually the market that pushed us to $15 and market competitiveness that pushed us there already,” Governor Moore said. “So, this actually impacted less businesses than a lot of people thought because a lot of businesses were already there.”

Heading into his second year in office, Governor Moore says he will remain focused on energizing the state with a special focus on the Eastern Shore.

“I believe that this is going to be Maryland’s decade, but I also believe that this is going to be the time for the Eastern Shore to rise,” Governor Moore said in closing. “I could not be more excited to be your Governor to be able to help make that happen.”