JASON: BALTIMORE CITY STATE’S ATTORNEY MARILYN MOSBY WAS ONE OF THE MANY PROSECUTORS ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHO CLOSELY WATCHED THE DEREK CHAUVIN TRIAL. I SPOKE WITH MOSBY THIS WEEK ABOUT HER THOUGHTS ON THE VERDICT AND HER DECISION TO NOT PROSECUTE LOW LEVEL OFFENSES. WE ALSO DISCUSSED THE ONGOING FEDERAL INVESTIGATION INVOLVING HER AND HER HUSBAND, CITY -- OVER CAMPAIGN RECORDS. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US, LET’S HOP STRAIGHT INTO THAT CHILDREN’S TRIAL. MY QUESTION IS FINDING -- THE CHAUVIN TRIAL. HOW DO AMERICAN PEOPLE REESTABLISH, EVEN CREATE TRUST WITHIN THE POLICE FORCE AND POLICE OFFICERS WHO DO WANT TO DO WELL AND WELL IN THE COMMUNITY. HOW DO THEY REFORMED THIS TRUST WITH THE COMMUNITY NOW? ATTY. MOSBY: I THINK THAT IS A CRITIC QUESTION, IS WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? I THINK THE PROSECUTION DID AN OUTSTANDING JOB IN THAT SHOW VINTAGE THE NAME TRIAL. WE DO HAVE -- THE CHAUVIN TRIAL. WE HAD EVIDENCE THAT CANNOT BE CONTRADICTED WHERE YOU SAW GEORGE FLOYD’S LIFE BEING SNUFFED FOR NINE MINUTES AND 29 SECONDS AND SO, WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? IT IS THE NEXT QUESTIO IN THIS MOMENT, I AM CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC, I THINK THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS EQUALITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY, THAT IS WHAT WE GOT, WHAT WE RECEIVED. I WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT THERE ARE STILL SYSTEMIC, THERE ARE STILL SYSTEMIC REFORMS THAT PREVENT POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY THAT WE HAVE TO CONFRONT, NOT JUST FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF STAT WIDE AND I AM EXCITED BECAUSE WE PASSED ONE OF THE MOST HISTORIC POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY REFORM MEASURES AND THE ENTIRE COUNTRY, BU NATIONALLY, RIGHT? WHAT IS THIS OVERLY DOMINANT POLICE CULTURE THAT EXISTS TOWARD BLACK PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY AND HOW DO WE CHANGE THAT? JASON: IS COME BACK TO BALTIMORE AND TALK ABOUT THE DECISION YOUR OFFICE HAS MADE TO NOT PROSECUTE SOME LOWER-LEVEL CRIMES AND MOVE TOWARDS A VIOLENT CRIME IN BALTIMORE. I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT -- I REMEMBER GROWING UP, SHE KEPT AN EYE ON THE NEIGHBORS, SHE IS A NEIGHBORHOOD HOCKS. -- NEIGHBORHOOD HAWK. ARE YOU WORRIED THAT IF WE LOOK PAST THIS, THEY WILL NOT CALL 911 ANYMORE AND SHOULD THAT BE A CONCERN FOR THEM? MAYBE THESE CRIMES ARE NOT WORTH COVERING? ATTY. MOSBY: WE CONSIDERED SEVERAL FACTORS AT ARRIVING AT OUR POLICY. FIRST, WHAT IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT IN THIS MOMENT COMING OUT OF THE CHAVIN TRIAL, YOU THINK ABOUT THESE LOW-LEVEL OFFENSES THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH PUBLIC SAFETY LIKE FREDDY GREAT EYE CONTACT WITH POLICE IN A HIGH CRIME NEIGHBORHOOD AND DECIDED TO RUN. SANDRA -- GEORGE FLOYD WAS ALLEGED TO PASS A COUNTERWEIGHT BETWEEN DOLLAR BILL DURING A PANDEMIC FOR GROCERIES. EVEN DAUNT WRIGHT, HE ALLEGEDLY HAD AIR FRESHENER’S IN HIS CAR AND AN EXPIRED TAG DURING THE PANDEMIC. THESE ARE OFFENSES THAT FOR BLACK PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY CREATE AN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE POLICE THAT CAN LEAD TO A DEATH SENTENCE. AND UNDERSTANDING AND RECOGNIZING THAT THAT WAS ONE OF SEVERA FACTORS, THESE LOW-LEVEL OFFENSES ARE DISCRIMINATE LATE OPPOSED ON BLA PEOPLE, NOT ONLY IS THAT A PROBLEM, BUT THESE LOW-LEVEL OFFENSES HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH PUBLIC SAFETY AND THAT WOULD -- IS WHAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PROVE LAST YEAR. WE STARTED THIS EXPERIMENT, WHAT STARTED OUT AS US CONSULTING PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERTS AND WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO MINIMIZE THE EXPOSURE TO POLICE AND TO THE LARGER COMMUNITY IN JAILS AND PRISONS AND WHAT WE STARTED DOING AS WE WERE ENUMERATED SEVERAL OFFENSES, DRUG POSSESSION, TRESPASSING, VAGABOND, ALL OF THESE LOW-LEVEL OFFENSES THAT WE THOUGHT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH PUBLIC SAFETY AND WHAT THE DATA SUGGESTED, WE IMPLEMENTED THESE POLICIES AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THESE POLICIES, WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED IS THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DECREASE THE JAIL POPULATION BY 20%. WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DECREASE THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS THAT GO IN AND OUT OF JAILS BY 39%. WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DEGREES THE DRUG ARRES -- DECREASE THE DRUG ARRESTS BY 80%. IT IS THANKS TO THE LEADERSHIP OF MICHAEL AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT WHEN 63 OF THE 66 MAJOR MUNICIPALITIES IN THE COUNTRY, VIOLENT CRIME WENT UP DURING THE PANDEMIC, OUR VIOLENT CRIME WENT DOWN BY 20 IS PRESENT. OUR PROPERTY CRIME WENT -- 20%. WHAT THAT SUGGESTS IS THAT WHAT WE THOUGHT -- THAT IS LOW OFFENSES HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH PUBLIC SAFETY, THEY DON’T AND NEVER DID. JASON: A MINUTE LEFT, GIVE US THE VERDICT. IF YOU HAVE THIS INVESTIGATION THAT LOOKED INTO -- THE QUICK QUESTION TO ME IS, IS THIS GOING TO AFFECT HOW YOU ARE ABLE TO DO YOUR JOB MOVING FORWARD AS YOU HOLD THAT OFF? ATTY. MOSBY: WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS I AM A PROGRESSIVE PROSECUTOR AND WHEN YOU CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO LIKE I HAVE DONE, WHETHER IT IS POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY OR WHETHER IT IS DECIDING THAT WE ARE GOING TO END THE WAR ON DRUG USERS AND USE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SPECIALISTS TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS AND THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY, WHEN YOU USE THAT TYPE OF POWER AND AUTONOMY TO REVIEWS -- REVERSE THE EFFECTS OF MASS INCARCERATION AND RACIAL INEQUITY, YOU WILL HAVE TO KEEP -- I HAVE BEEN SUED FOR GOING AFTER POLICE, AND I HAVE ONE WHISKEY -- WON. I HAVE BEEN ARRESTED, RIDICULED, MY COMPETENCY WAS CALLED INTO QUESTION WHEN NOBODY WAS CALLING INTO QUESTION THE SYSTEM’S THAT PREVENT POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR YEARS AND I KNOW THAT PEOPLE ATTEMPT TO RATTLE ME AND I AM GOING TO CONTINUE TO FIGHT TO REFORM A BROKEN SYSTEM THAT DEHUMANIZES PEOPLE OF COLOR. I HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATING AND FOUND NOT TO HAVE BEEN DOING ANYTHING WRONG BY THE CITY SOLICITOR AS WELL AS MARYLAND STATE ETHICS COMMISSION. I WILL TAKE THAT SAME APPROACH WITH THE FEDERAL INVESTIGATION. I’M 100% COMP MEANT THAT I HAVE DONE NOTHING NEFARIOUS, NOTHING UNETHICAL, SO MY FOCUS WILL CONTINUE TO REMAIN ON BUILDING A MORE EQUITABLE JUSTICE SYSTEM IN BALTIMORE. JA