Gansler Calls for Special Counsel To Investigate City Jail Corruption

Attorney General Douglas Gansler Monday called for a special counsel to be appointed to investigate corruption involving gangs at the Baltimore City Detention Center.

"I am deeply disturbed by recent revelations of pervasive gang activity within the Baltimore City Detention Center," Gansler wrote in his letter to Gov. Martin O'Malley. "Reports that jail employees facilitated and participated in this criminal wrongdoing are even more troubling.

[Read more: Letters written by Gansler and O'Malley are attached to this article.]

More than two dozen inmates and correctional officers face federal charges after an investigation involving the U.S. Attorney's office. Investigators alleged that correctional officers had sexual relationships with members of the Black Guerilla Family Gang. One member is believed to have fathered children with those correctional officers who smuggled in contraband for gang members.

A task force to weed out corruption and gang problems at the facility has been appointed and last week members of the Legislative Policy Committee met to examine the problem.

On Friday, Dels. Curt Anderson and John Cluster, a Baltimore City Democrat and Parkville Republican respectively, said the meeting of top legislators yielded little new information.

Gansler said more needs to be done.

"Public confidence in the prison system can only be restored after a full, transparent, and independent review with an eye toward holding accountable the responsible officials," Gansler wrote.

O'Malley, in a reply penned the same day, rejected the need for a special prosecutor to examine the issue.

"We are already beyond the question of whether special counsel should be appointed to conduct an investigation, as the United States Attorney and the Baltimore City Attorney, with full subpoena and criminal investigative powers, have open and active cases against those accused of corruption at BCDC."

"I share your desire to rid the Baltimore City Detention Center of corruption, and believe that we have put in place the necessary steps to achieve that goal while the state and federal investigations proceed," O'Malley wrote, adding that the General Assembly also has a joint committee that is conducting its own review and will make "budgetary and legislative recommendations by the end of the year."

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