Police

“Prioritized by our budget, this record 60% increase in funding will help police officers and the communities they serve in every jurisdiction in Maryland,” said Governor Hogan. “We will continue to do everything in our power to support law enforcement and to provide our men and women in uniform with the tools they need to keep Marylanders safe.”

SAPP funding is used for a wide range of resources, including officer salaries and wages, officer equipment, technology upgrades, investigative tools, operating expenses, contractual services, vehicle operation and maintenance costs, and other supplies and materials. Funds will be  distributed based on a formula derived through jurisdictional population, the number of police officers in an agency, and the total jurisdictional taxable income. Legislation passed during the 2022 legislative session required use of Uniform Crime Report violent crime statistics to distribute increased funding for FY23.

From Friday, July 1st, through Monday, July 4th, police arrested 95 impaired drivers during regular road patrols throughout the state and a joint DUI saturation patrol focused on Route 50.  The full-time drunk driving enforcement team of troopers known as the State Police Impaired Driving Reduction Effort, or S.P.I.D.R.E. team, funded by the Maryland Highway Safety Office also worked the initiative.

Troopers worked saturation patrols on I-695 in Baltimore County, I-70 in Howard County and I-495 in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties. In total, police issued 1,396 citations and warnings in these four counties during the initiative.

The troopers helped apprehend Joe Louis Esquivel, 23, of Hedgesville, West Virginia. He is charged with three counts of first-degree murder, three counts of second-degree murder, five counts of first-degree assault, five counts of second-degree assault, three counts of attempted first-degree murder, three counts of attempted second-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault, two counts of second-degree assault, two counts of reckless endangerment, one count of having a handgun illegally in a vehicle, one count of having a loaded handgun in a vehicle, one count of illegal handgun possession and two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony. He is being held without bond in the care and custody of the Washington County Detention Center.

The injured trooper has been identified as Detective Sergeant Phillip Martin. Detective Sergeant Martin is assigned to the Criminal Enforcement Division Western Region. He was transported to Meritus Medical Center in Hagerstown, Maryland, where he was treated and released on Thursday for injuries sustained in the shooting.

The injured trooper is not being identified at this time. He is a 25-year veteran of the Department and is assigned to the Criminal Enforcement Division Western Region. He was transported to Meritus Medical Center in Hagerstown, Maryland, where he was treated and released for injuries sustained in the shooting.

The gunman’s identity is being withheld at the moment pending charges being filed in this case. He was transported by ambulance for medical treatment where he remains under police guard. Charges are pending consultation with the Washington County State’s Attorney’s Office.