Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan held a private meeting with officials from the FBI and the Maryland State Police on Monday to discuss crime in Baltimore and threats posed by white supremacists.
According to the governor's office, Hogan met with Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Boone and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Paul Maric of the FBI's Baltimore office, as well as Col. Bill Pallozzi, superintendent of the Maryland State Police, and Pete Landon, Maryland homeland security adviser.
Hogan, a Republican, said in a statement that the group discussed "the steps being taken to the threat posed by the evil of white supremacists and racially motivated violent extremists" in light of the mass shootings over the weekend in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio.
Hogan said the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center is "actively monitoring" social media and other online activity for "potential threats."
The man accused of opening fire in an El Paso Walmart, killing 22, is alleged to have posted a racist, anti-immigrant manifesto online before the shooting. The shooting is being investigated as a possible hate crime.
Since the weekend mass shootings, Hogan also has issued statements offering prayers for victims and first responders in El Paso and Dayton.
Many politicians have reacted to the mass shootings by calling for stricter gun control measures, such as mandatory background checks for gun purchases.
President Donald Trump, a Republican, called for lawmakers to pass "strong background checks" -- and suggested tying background check legislation to immigration legislation that he has long sought.
Maryland requires background checks for all gun sales by licensed dealers, but such checks are not required for private sales of rifles and shotguns. An effort to require background checks for private long gun sales failed in the last General Assembly session.
Hogan said the group also "reviewed our joint efforts to address the violent crime crisis in Baltimore City and disrupt the gangs and criminal enterprises that are responsible for so much of the deadly violence." He did not elaborate on those efforts.
(c)2019 The Baltimore Sun
