John also supported tougher gang laws to allow law enforcement to crackdown on criminal gangs and allow judges to give longer jail time to crimes committed in support of gang activity.  The Maryland Gang Prosecution Act gives judges the power to add up to 20 years to a criminal sentence due to gang activity.

Maryland’s DNA laws were also enhanced during this term. Now, police officers are required to collect DNA samples from people who are charged with crimes of violence, like murder, rape and robbery. As the technology has developed, we know that DNA collection can help solve open cases and this is yet another tool in the arsenal of prosecutors to stop violent criminals.

John also supported tougher laws against domestic abusers. As a community, we must balance important constitutional rights with preventing any kind of violence in the home. In 2007, 30 homicides in Maryland were attributed to domestic violence.  New laws require judges to take firearms from those who have final protective orders issued against them and give judges discretion to remove firearms when issuing a temporary protective order in which there is the threat of violence.

Getting Tough on Drunk Drivers
According to the Maryland Department of Transportation, 40% of all accidents each year are caused by drivers that are impaired by alcohol or drugs. The most significant of the new laws imposes a mandatory one year license suspension for a person convicted of drunk driving more than once in five years. Other bills will tighten underage drinking laws and address repeat offenders. These new laws will help stem the tragedy of drunk driving accidents on our roads.

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