Maryland’s new U.S. attorney, Rod Rosenstein, told the Baltimore Sun that terrorism was his top priority but that it will be difficult for the public to evaluate his success. “The challenge with terrorism is that if we fail, everyone knows about it, and if we succeed, often people don’t find out,” he said. Among his other priorities are gun-related violations, violent and drug-related crimes and white-collar frauds, including public corruption.
Rosenstein, 40, hopes to have a cooperative relationship with local and federal officials. A spokeswoman for Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley, citing federal gun prosecution statistics showing that Maryland has fallen behind Philadelphia, Richmond, Va., and Northern Virginia, said, “We’ve lagged behind our neighbors and, as a result, the U.S. attorney has a lot of ground to make up.” Rosenstein said he would review the office’s performance. Baltimore State’s Attorney Patricia Jessamy said there is a misconception that the federal court is always the better venue to prosecute gun crimes. “For first offenders, it’s often better to try a case in state court, where the penalties are greater now,” she said.