October 21, 2008

Maryland Fraternal Order of Police Endorses Question 2

BALTIMORE, MD (October 21, 2008) - Today, The Maryland State Fraternal Order of Police announced their endorsement of the November slots referendum, urging their 18,000 members and all Marylanders to vote FOR Question 2.

Rodney Bartlett, President of the Maryland State Fraternal Order of Police cited the state's tough financial situation as one of the leading factors in their decision to support the measure - noting the harm that deeper budget cuts would cause.

"We need to pass the slots referendum - to invest in Maryland's schools and prevent local cuts that would harm public safety," Bartlett said. "If we don't, the social costs of cutting education and public safety would badly damage our state. And in these tough times, like most Marylanders, our members can't afford tax increases - which some slots opponents have proposed."

He also addressed the fact that evidence does not support the allegation that introducing slot machines will lead to crime.

"Police officers stick to the facts. We've personally visited our neighboring states to do firsthand research into this issue. And the truth is pretty straightforward - crime has not gone up," Bartlett said.

Numerous studies back that conclusion:

• Maryland Labor Secretary Tom Perez reported that crime has gone down, not up, in surrounding states: "The crime rate in Jefferson County, West Virginia, home of Charles Town Races and Slots, in 1994 was 26.4, meaning there were 26.4 offenses per 1,000 residents. In 1997, the rate went down to 20, and continued to fall even after the introduction of slots in 1999. In 2000 the county's crime rate was 16.2, falling to 12 crimes per 1,000 people by 2004."
• "For Dover County, Delaware, home to Dover Downs... The violent crime rate for the county in 1994, the year before slots came to town, was 915 per 100,000 residents. In 1996, the year following the introduction of slots, the rate was 847, falling to 650 in 2000 and 765 in 2004."
• A 2000 study funded by the National Institute of Justice reported that the casinos it examined "do not appear to have any general or dramatic effect on crime."
• And a 2000 study by the Public Sector Gaming Commission - a nonpartisan organization of state legislators found that: "The majority of the information collected during the past decade indicates there is no link between gaming, particularly casino-style gaming, and crime.

The Fraternal Order of Police - "The Voice of Our Nation's Law Enforcement Officers" - has more than 18,000 members in Maryland. It is the world's largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers, with more than 325,000 members in more than 2,100 lodges. The FOP is committed to improving the working conditions of law enforcement officers and the safety of those we serve through education, legislation, information, community involvement, and employee representation.