Top Dem Senate candidate diverted millions from police during crime surge to fund mental health facility

FIRST ON FOX: The Democrat running in one of this year's top Senate races previously diverted millions of dollars from law enforcement to fund a mental health facility despite an ongoing surge in crime.

Prince George's County executive Angela Alsobrooks, who is running to replace retiring Democrat Sen. Ben Cardin in Maryland, announced in June 2020 that $20 million in the county budget already set aside for a new police training facility would instead be used to treat mental health and addiction.

Alsobrooks argued during her announcement concerning the reallocation that a third of inmates at Prince George's County jails had mental illnesses, such as addiction, and that it was "unjust" to treat them in jail, Maryland Matters reported at the time.

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Maryland Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate and Prince George's County executive Angela Alsobrooks speaks at a campaign event on Gun Violence Awareness Day at Kentland Community Center on June 7, 2024 in Landover, Maryland. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The reallocation came amid a wave of nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd while in police custody, which led to increased calls for defunding police by Democrats and left-wing activists. Violent crime also surged that year, including a historic 30% nationwide increase in the murder rate from the previous year, according to FBI statistics.

Those statistics were similar when taking into account just Prince George's County, which saw a 16% increase in overall violent crime from 2019 to 2020, as well as a 58% increase in reported homicides, a 19% increase in reported robberies and a 15% increase in reported aggravated assaults, all according to FBI statistics. The county did experience a small drop in property crime from 2019-2020.

Alsobrooks double-downed on the decision to divert the money years later during a fireside chat with Ebenezer AME Church, despite the increases in crime seen across her county.

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From left to right, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Maryland Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate and Prince George's County executive Angela Alsobrooks and Vice President Kamala Harris stand on stage together after speaking at a campaign event on Gun Violence Awareness Day at Kentland Community Center on June 7, 2024 in Landover, Maryland. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

"And so one of the things that we’ve done during our administration is, I decided that we were going to reallocate $20 million away from a police training facility. Now, we still have a training facility, but this one was going to be very expensive. And I have decided that you can’t heal people in jail," Alsobrooks said in the January 2022 interview.

"I have reallocated, with the support of the County Council who had to vote to approve it — and it was also on your ballot in 2020. You had to approve it as well — but we instead have reallocated $20 million. And we are now opening the doors to a new mental health care and addictions care facility that will be opening the doors this July, in partnership with luminous health care, so that we can actually heal our loved ones and not treat them in jail." 

Gina Ford, a spokesperson for Alsobrooks, told Fox News Digital, "As the chief law enforcement official, Angela Alsobrooks oversaw a 50% decrease in violent crime. And as County Executive, Angela has increased the police department's budget by 22% over her tenure."

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Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan speaking at an annual meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition on Nov. 18, 2022. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

Ford's reference to a decrease in violent crime came during Alsbobrooks' time serving as the state attorney for Prince George's County from 2011 to 2018, when violent crime did indeed see a 50% drop.

Since becoming country executive in 2018, however, violent crime in the county has increased 30% through 2022, according to FBI statistics.

Alsobrooks will face former Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan in the November general election.

Elections analysts rate the race as "likely Democratic," although Hogan could keep the race competitive considering his high approval rating upon leaving office in 2023 despite leading a traditionally deep-blue state.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Brandon Gillespie is an associate editor at Fox News. Follow him on X at @BGillespieAL.