Ben Conarck

washingtonpost.comEx-employee says D.C. jail botched probes into violence, death and drugsA former investigator with the D.C. Department of Corrections said she was fired after complaining of shoddy investigative practices. Now she's suing.

19 Aug

New, for @washingtonpost.com: A retired BPD detective who joined the D.C. jail’s internal affairs unit says the division was rife with dysfunction, describing abandoned stabbing investigations, stat manipulation, mishandled narcotics. She was fired last year. www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...

washingtonpost.comA year after D.C. takeover, Trump says crime has plummeted. It’s not that simple.The Post’s analysis of thousands of arrest records found the president's remarks overstate the federal intervention’s impact.

11 Aug

New: President Trump says his administration’s surge of federal law enforcement into local policing has “stopped crime in Washington.” A closer look at the task force’s activity shows a more limited impact. www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...

Ben Conarck reposted

Brenda Wintrode

@brendawintrode.bsky.social

22 July

Maryland had one of the highest prisoner homicide rates in the nation last year, second only to Georgia. By @justinfenton.bsky.social, @conarck.bsky.social , @dylansegelbaum.bsky.social www.thebanner.com/community/cr...

thebanner.comMaryland prisons rank among nation’s worst for killingsSince 2023, Maryland has had more prison homicides than all of its neighboring states combined. Its homicide rate last year was nearly four times the national average, based on available data gathered...

Ben Conarck reposted

thebanner.comA political ally of the sheriff schedules evictions in Prince George’s — for a feeKnown as the “mayor of Suitland,” Elsie Jacobs has gained an outsize but informal role at the sheriff’s office.

17 July

From my colleague @conarck.bsky.social: A political ally of the sheriff schedules evictions in Prince George’s County — for a fee

16 July

Relatedly, tomorrow is my last day at The Banner, where I've worked for four years. I'm indebted to all the sources who have trusted me with their stories. I'm excited to share more about what's next for me in the near future.

Ben Conarck@conarck.bsky.social

NEW: In one of my last stories @thebaltimorebanner.com, I dug into an unusual arrangement at the Prince George's County Sheriff's Office, where a political supporter of the sheriff acknowledged she is taking payments from landlords to help coordinate evictions. www.thebanner.com/community/ho...

Elsie Jacobs, an 85-year-old political matriarch of the county who holds no official role with the sheriff's office, told The Banner she also enjoys what she described as a security detail. Her acknowledgement comes as deputies suggest she has improper influence in the office.

Ben Conarck reposted

thebanner.comNonprofit leader with ties to Prince George’s council member faces trial on second DUI chargeThe leader of a nonprofit that mentors children, who has come under scrutiny for his ties to a County Council member and as the recipient of millions of dollars of county funds, was arrested earlier t...

7 July

Nonprofit leader with ties to Prince George’s council member faces trial on second DUI charge, @conarck.bsky.social reports. (via @bannerpgcounty.bsky.social)

Ben Conarck reposted

thebanner.comPrince George's sheriff's motorcycle accident was more serious than initially indicatedPrince George's County Sheriff John Carr was in a motorcycle accident at the end of May. The sheriff's office initially downplayed the incident, but during a recent interview, the sheriff acknowledged...

23 June

Prince George’s sheriff’s ‘minor’ motorcycle accident was more serious than initially indicated www.thebanner.com/community/lo... via @conarck.bsky.social

thebanner.comA data center developer wanted a power plant. He needed Moore’s help.Emails obtained by The Baltimore Banner offer a new window into Gov. Wes Moore’s approach to an emerging data center industry. His decision to back a controversial development in southern Maryland rai...

22 June

New: It turns out the Prince George's County sheriff's motorcycle accident last month — which his chief of staff downplayed as "minor" — was more serious than the office initially indicated. We have the details: www.thebanner.com/community/lo...

Ben Conarck reposted

Adam Willis

@adampwillis.bsky.social

20 June

Last fall, an energy mogul begged Wes Moore to back his data center complex. It worked. Records offer a rare window into how a wealthy & politically connected businessman won the governor’s endorsement for his controversial foray into Maryland data centers: www.thebanner.com/community/cl...

Ben Conarck reposted

thebanner.comBi-county commission sues Prince George’s County over controversial budgetThe parks and planning commission claims that a $39 million transfer authorized via the county budget and the budget that the council set for the commission violate state law and the county’s charter.

10 June

The Bi-County park and planning commission has sued Prince George’s County over the $39 million budget transfer my colleagues Jack Hogan and @conarck.bsky.social have been reporting about.

thebanner.comPrison recreation time without guards on the ground? Officers union sounds alarm.The Maryland correctional officers union is criticizing plans to deal with staffing shortages by giving incarcerated people unsupervised recreation time, saying the move would place both prisoners and...

20 May

New: The Maryland correctional officers' union is calling out the corrections dept. over plans to have COs remotely watch prisoners from a control tower during rec, calling the move reckless and dangerous. It comes amid an unprecedented spike in prison homicides. www.thebanner.com/community/cr...

thebanner.comPrince George’s sheriff’s office PIO placed on leave following audit of her nonprofitThe sheriff’s office said it didn’t learn of the audit until May 18, the day The Banner reported its findings.

20 May

Bit of a delayed notice, but I'm now covering local government and criminal justice in Prince George's County for @thebaltimorebanner.com. We're forming a small but mighty team here in the D.C. suburbs, and our reporting is already having an impact: www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...

Ben Conarck reposted

Justin Fenton

@justinfenton.bsky.social

22 Apr

A woman spent months in Maryland jails because of unchecked facial recognition technology, @conarck.bsky.social reports www.thebanner.com/community/cr...

thebanner.comA woman spent months in Maryland jails because of unchecked facial recognition technologyThe ACLU filed complaints against several Maryland police departments asking for formal apologies and reforms over the use of facial recognition technology they say landed an innocent woman in jail fo...

Ben Conarck reposted

9 Apr

Many thanks to Busboys and Poets in Hyattsville for hosting us for #localnewsday. And a nice introduction for @ashleyclarkejourno.bsky.social, our newest member of the team covering Prince George's County. @rondez.bsky.social is all smiles and @conarck.bsky.social is on deadline!

Ben Conarck reposted

buff.lyWith limited resources, Baltimore Police struggle to aid mentally ill peopleThe Crisis Response Team was created nearly a decade ago, prompted in part by the federal investigation into the city’s police department following the 2015 in-custody death of Freddie Gray.

9 Mar

With limited resources, Baltimore Police struggle to aid mentally ill people

Ben Conarck reposted

thebanner.comWith limited resources, Baltimore Police struggle to aid mentally ill peopleThe Crisis Response Team was created nearly a decade ago, prompted in part by the federal investigation into the city’s police department following the 2015 in-custody death of Freddie Gray.

9 Mar

By @conarck.bsky.social: With limited resources, Baltimore Police struggle to aid mentally ill people. (via @thebaltimorebanner.com)

Ben Conarck reposted

thebanner.comUniversity of Maryland Police officer accused of sexual misconduct with student has powers stripped by stateAn internal investigation by the University of Maryland Police Department found that Meadows met the College Park student on a social media website known as “FET: Kinky BDSM Dating.”

23 Feb

UMD officer accused of sexual misconduct with student loses police powers, @conarck.bsky.social and @elliew0lfe.bsky.social report. (via @thebaltimorebanner.com)

Ben Conarck reposted

buff.lyWashington County declares its support for ICE detention facility outside HagerstownWashington County commissioners declared support for the conversion of a sprawling warehouse outside Hagerstown into a proposed federal immigration detention facility on Tuesday.

10 Feb

Washington County declares support for proposed ICE detention facility near Hagerstown

thebanner.comWashington County declares its support for ICE detention facility outside HagerstownWashington County commissioners declared support for the conversion of a sprawling warehouse outside Hagerstown into a proposed federal immigration detention facility on Tuesday.

10 Feb

Breaking: In Western Maryland, Washington Co. commissioners declared their support for the conversion of a sprawling warehouse into an ICE detention facility, in spite of protests inside/outside the hearing room and opposition from the state's two U.S. senators. www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...

1 Feb

Few people irritate me as much as the Temu John Prine guy on Instagram

Ben Conarck reposted

buff.lyNearly 1 in 4 people killed by Maryland police was in mental health crisis, AG findsSince 2021, the Maryland Office of the Attorney General has reviewed 86 cases in which someone was killed by police — and 20 of those cases involved mental health crises, according to a report released...

30 Jan

Nearly 1 in 4 people killed by Maryland police was in mental health crisis, AG finds

thebanner.comNearly 1 in 4 people killed by Maryland police was in mental health crisis, AG findsSince 2021, the Maryland Office of the Attorney General has reviewed 86 cases in which someone was killed by police — and 20 of those cases involved mental health crises, according to a report release...

30 Jan

New: Since 2021, the Maryland Office of the Attorney General has reviewed 86 cases in which someone was killed by police or died during a police response — and 20 of those cases involved mental health crises, according to a report released Thursday. www.thebanner.com/community/cr...

thebanner.comFederal oversight expected to scale back after Baltimore stabilizes police staffingThe Baltimore Police Department got a preliminary green light from the judge overseeing its federally mandated reforms that it's on track to shed mandates for recruitment/hiring and technology.

29 Jan

New: Baltimore Police are on track to scale back more federal oversight after a judge recognized improvements to the hiring/retention processes and a transformation of the agency's technical capabilities (records management, body cams and early-intervention systems) www.thebanner.com/community/cr...

thebanner.comWashington County says feds’ plan for immigration detention near Hagerstown cannot be stoppedThe federal government moved quickly over the last month to establish a foothold in Maryland, notifying Washington County officials of its intentions just days before inking the deed giving it full ow...

28 Jan

New: Washington Co. officials say there is nothing they can do to stop the federal government from building a sprawling immigration detention facility in Western Maryland. It could provide ICE with a long-desired foothold in the region to surge the area w/ arrests. www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...

29 Jan

Update: @oagmaryland.bsky.social Anthony Brown's office has weighed in, and appears to be keeping its cards close to its vest:

Ben Conarck reposted

buff.lyFeds purchase warehouse near Hagerstown, fueling talk of detention centerThe U.S. Department of Homeland Security has inked a deal to purchase a warehouse just outside Hagerstown for $102.4 million.

Feds purchase warehouse near Hagerstown, fueling talk of immigration detention center

thebanner.comFeds purchase warehouse near Hagerstown, fueling talk of detention centerThe U.S. Department of Homeland Security has inked a deal to purchase a warehouse just outside Hagerstown for $102.4 million.

News: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has inked a deal to purchase a warehouse just outside Hagerstown for $102.4 million, fueling concerns of its potential conversion into an immigration detention facility. For @thebaltimorebanner.com www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...

thebanner.comAnother Maryland prisoner is killed as homicide surge continuesA prisoner was killed inside the Jessup Correctional Institution on Monday, representing the third prison homicide this month, state officials said.

Corrections officials tell me the victim was serving a five-year sentence for a felony firearm possession charge, with two additional years for offenses committed while in prison. He had been incarcerated since June 2022.

Justin Fenton@justinfenton.bsky.social

Something's going on in Maryland's prisons. As @conarck.bsky.social continues to chronicle, last year had the highest prison killings in a decade (13) and there's been 3 more already this month alone www.thebanner.com/community/cr...

buff.lyViral video offers rare look inside crowded ICE holding room in BaltimoreA new viral video taken inside an immigration holding room facility in downtown Baltimore is the latest proof of abusive treatment of people confined in federal custody, activists and lawmakers say.

We spoke to the relative of a detainee seen in the video, the former field office director for the facility, advocates and lawmakers for this story. This is the kind of coverage you will only read @thebaltimorebanner.com

Baltimore Banner@thebaltimorebanner.com

Viral video provides rare look inside crowded ICE holding room in Baltimore

@justinfenton.bsky.social

Spokesperson for @govwesmoore.bsky.social has weighed in.

Ben Conarck reposted

Justin Fenton

New: Last night, a 33-year-old named Joseph Harrell was killed in front of the library at Jessup Correctional Institution. It was the third prison homicide in Maryland just this month, putting the state on pace to exceed last year's record of 13 prison homicides. www.thebanner.com/community/cr...

thebanner.comNo money for budget-busting Baltimore jail in Gov. Moore’s spending planThe proposed detention facility, which is set to be located in the city’s downtown jail complex, had been slated to receive $125 million.

New: After pushback from reformers and the CO’s union, Maryland’s controversial plan to build a $1.2 billion “therapeutic” jail in downtown Baltimore appears to have hit a major snag. @govwesmoore.bsky.social has pulled it from his proposed budget. www.thebanner.com/community/cr...

thebanner.comPrice hike for Baltimore jail plans: Now estimated at $1.2 billionAs Maryland’s budget outlook worsens, state officials are hedging on the controversial Baltimore jail project.

The @thebaltimorebanner.com previewed this possibility earlier in the month: www.thebanner.com/community/cr...

@pwoodreporter.bsky.social

Gratitude as always for our statehouse reporter @pwoodreporter.bsky.social for helping the Banner stay on top of this news.

Ben Conarck reposted

Pamela Wood

@ginnybixbywrites.bsky.social

One project that's NOT funded in Maryland Gov. Wes Moore's budget is a proposed "therapeutic" jail for Baltimore that's been kicking around since Gov. Larry Hogan's time. The cost keeps increasing, and the project is being put on pause. by @conarck.bsky.social: www.thebanner.com/community/cr...

Ben Conarck reposted

Ginny Bixby

thebanner.comMontgomery County leaders try to strengthen their hand against ICEMontgomery County Council members introduced two bills Tuesday to curb how ICE conducts detentions and deportations within the county’s borders.

A Montgomery County councilmember watched a teenage boy detained by ICE. Wearing pajamas in the cold, the boy showed ICE agents proof of his citizenship, to no avail, she said. County officials want to prevent this, so they're proposing more restrictions on ICE: www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...

thebanner.comHarford County sheriff showed ‘deliberate indifference’ to jail suicides, lawsuit saysA coalition of civil rights groups is suing the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, claiming that the agency failed to properly assess jail detainees’ suicide risk and aggravated their mental health cond...

20 Jan

NEW: Two years after a @thebaltimorebanner.com investigation into an abnormally high suicide rate and questionable practices at the Harford County Detention Center, Maryland chapters of the ACLU/NAACP are suing the sheriff, citing extensively from our reporting: www.thebanner.com/community/cr...

Ben Conarck reposted

Mike Hixenbaugh

@mikehixenbaugh.com

16 Jan

NEW: Trump’s DHS forces have shot 11 people since September. NBC News examined every case, revealing a pattern that policing experts called alarming: officers firing into cars, injuring and killing drivers.

nbcnews.comTrump's DHS has shot 11 people during immigration enforcement operations since SeptemberThe ICE and Border Patrol shootings show a pattern that policing experts say is alarming: officers firing into cars and injuring and killing drivers.

Ben Conarck reposted

Cody Boteler

@codyboteler.bsky.social

14 Jan

NEW: Chuck Jenkins, arguably Maryland's most powerful sheriff, said today he wants to keep working with ICE — regardless of national protests and even if Maryland lawmakers outlaw cooperation agreements (called 287g program) in the state. More in @thebaltimorebanner.com:

thebanner.comMaryland sheriff wants to keep working with ICE, even if state lawmakers ban itFrederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins plans to keep working with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement, even in light of the killing of an American citizen by an ICE agent.

thebanner.comAnother man killed at Maryland’s deadliest prisonMaryland State Police have launched an investigation following a reported killing at North Branch Correctional Institution in Allegany County.

11 Jan

Prisoner homicides hit a modern record high last year with 13. There's already been one so far in 2026, at the state's deadliest prison, a "hypermax" facility in Cumberland. by @invisibae.bsky.social www.thebanner.com/community/cr...

Ben Conarck reposted

thebanner.comPrice hike for Baltimore jail plans: Now estimated at $1.2 billionAs Maryland’s budget outlook worsens, state officials are hedging on the controversial Baltimore jail project.

Plans for a historically expensive jail in Baltimore just got even more costly: $1.2 billion, @conarck.bsky.social reports. (via @thebaltimorebanner.com)

thebanner.comBaltimore’s new $1 billion jail will be most expensive state-funded project in historyThe proposed 854-bed facility will be a hybrid jail, hospital and mental health and substance use treatment facility for people facing criminal charges.

Plans for a historically expensive jail in downtown Baltimore have gotten costlier, with the price tag up to $1.2B. Meanwhile, a state budget crunch has made the project's future less certain. Justice reform advocates/CO's union sense an opportunity to derail it. www.thebanner.com/community/cr...

Ben Conarck reposted

buff.lyPrice hike for Baltimore jail plans: Now estimated at $1.2 billionAs Maryland’s budget outlook worsens, state officials are hedging on the controversial Baltimore jail project.

Plans for a historically expensive jail in Baltimore just got even more costly: $1.2 billion

I like how the vet puts the "May cause drowsiness" sticker on my dog's gabapentin like he might forget and take the car out for cigarettes or something

thebanner.comAnne Arundel County Police dispute ICE’s account of Glen Burnie shootingA deadly shooting by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minneapolis on Wednesday renewed scrutiny of a violent Christmas Eve incident involving ICE agents in Glen Burnie, with Anne Arundel County ...

8 Jan

New: Anne Arundel County police are publicly disputing ICE's account of a Christmas Eve shooting, in which federal officials claimed (as they have in Minneapolis) that the driver they were stopping tried to run them over @alexmann.bsky.social @sararuberg.bsky.social www.thebanner.com/community/lo...