Governor Hogan spoke to Time 100 Talks – a series hosted by Katie Couric focused on interviewing the world’s most influential leaders – about what he describes as a “turning point” in our nation’s history.
Governor Hogan discussed Baltimore’s progress over the past five years since the death of Freddie Gray, where the relationship between police and the city’s residents has improved “by investing more in our police … in recruitment, in training, in equipment, trying to teach people about de-escalation,” as well as making sure police spend time in the community building “trust.”
During the current protests, Governor Hogan has praised Baltimore’s police and peaceful demonstrators for working together to set “an example for the rest of America” about how to express frustrations peacefully – “almost a completely opposite response” from what happened in Washington and Baltimore in 2015.
While noting “we certainly have by no means solved all the problems of Baltimore or in police departments across our state,” Governor Hogan argued defunding the police would be “a terrible idea.” According to Governor Hogan, “you’ve got to invest in those communities and … help with some of the underlying socio-economic problems. But eliminating or defunding the police is not the way.”