Moore, Scott reject Trump troop threat, reaffirm Baltimore safety partnership at community walk

Mathew Schumer, Baltimore Sun on Sep 5, 2025

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BALTIMORE — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Friday called President Donald Trump’s threat to send federal troops to Baltimore “disrespectful,” while Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott warned, “We do not need an occupation. We do not need troops on our streets.”

Trump said Tuesday he would order troops to the city to fight crime, though he offered no specific plan. The comments came weeks after Moore invited the former president to join a September community walk, an offer Trump dismissed as “derogatory,” saying he would attend only when Moore “clean(s) up” crime.

Moore and Scott responded during a community walk in North Baltimore, reaffirming the state’s public safety partnership with the city despite the criticism. The two, joined by other local officials and public safety advocates, walked along Park Heights Avenue and West Cold Spring Lane to St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Park Heights, where they held a news conference announcing renewed coordination between city and state law enforcement agencies.

“When we took office, we promised to mount an all-of-the-above approach to public safety,” Moore said. “Today, we mark a continuation of that work by restoring the state’s long-standing public safety partnership with Baltimore City — one that was broken under the last administration and which will help us share personnel, data and best practices on public safety.”

Under the initiative, the Maryland State Police and Maryland Transportation Authority Police will work closely with the Baltimore Police Department to provide a highly visible presence in high-risk areas, target firearm and narcotics offenses and support warrant service for violent felony crimes. The renewed partnership follows years of limited coordination after similar efforts were ended under the previous administration.

Scott said the city’s recent progress shows the importance of sustained cooperation. “This announcement is about using government resources in a targeted, evidence-based way to make our neighborhoods safer,” he said. “It takes all of us — state, city and federal law enforcement, community violence interrupters and residents — to build on this progress and create the safer, healthier Baltimore we know is possible.”

The Moore administration said Baltimore is now seeing one of the sharpest declines in violence in its history. After eight straight years with more than 300 homicides, the city recorded the lowest number in 50 years. In the first six months of 2025, homicides fell 22% and nonfatal shootings dropped 19% compared with the same period last year.

Less than a mile from where the walk took place, a shooting killed one person and injured five others — including a 5-year-old girl — in early August.

Broader trends, however, show improvement: Baltimore has seen a nearly 30% decline in homicides and a 21% drop in nonfatal shootings compared with the same period last year.