    [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 38 (Wednesday, February 26, 2025)]
    [Extensions of Remarks]
    [Page E163]
    From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

     RECOGNIZING A TRAILBLAZING CAREER IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE: U.S. ATTORNEY
                              EREK LAWRENCE BARRON

                                     ______

                               HON. KWEISI MFUME

                                  of maryland

                        in the house of representatives

                          Wednesday, February 26, 2025

      Mr. MFUME. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the outstanding
    achievements and historic tenure of Maryland's outgoing United States
    Attorney, Erek Lawrence Barron. He is an experienced lawyer, an
    accomplished legislator, and a champion of civil rights, and his time
    as U.S. Attorney has left the people of Maryland safer and more secure
    in their communities, with greater confidence in the integrity of the
    justice system.
      Mr. Barron earned his Juris Doctor from the prestigious George
    Washington University Law School in 1999 and earned admission to the
    Maryland Bar that same year. He began his career in public service as
    an Assistant State's Attorney in Prince George's County in 2001,
    primarily prosecuting violent crimes, before transferring to Baltimore
    City in 2004 and continuing in this position until 2006.
      The next phase of his career was at the Department of Justice, as a
    Trial Attorney in their Criminal Division. There, he focused on
    tackling the scourge of organized crime, investigating and prosecuting
    figures involved in regional and national gangs.
      This law enforcement experience, gained at both the state and federal
    level, had Mr. Barron well-prepared for his subsequent role as Counsel
    and Special Advisor to then-Senator Joe Biden, serving on the United
    States Senate's Judicial Committee's Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs.
    Soon after, he was a member of the Justice and Civil Rights Review Team
    for President Barack Obama's Presidential Transition Team.
      Given his high qualifications and extensive experience, it is no
    surprise that in 2014, the good people of Prince George's County,
    Maryland elected Mr. Barron to the House of Delegates. In the state
    legislature, he prioritized public safety and criminal Justice reform,
    co-authoring bipartisan legislation that instituted sweeping
    improvements to Maryland's sentencing and corrections systems.
      His thoughtfulness and effectiveness as a legislator helped Mr.
    Barron win re-election in 2018, and he continued serving in the General
    Assembly through October 2021, when the United States Senate confirmed
    him as the chief federal law enforcement official in the great state of
    Maryland.
      When he took his oath of office, Mr. Barron became the first African
    American to serve as Maryland's United States Attorney. Despite the
    historic nature of his service, Mr. Barron never sought out the
    limelight--he focused entirely on doing his job and doing it well,
    working closely with state and local law enforcement to implement
    crime-fighting strategies that reduced violent crime.
      Most importantly, Mr. Barron got results. During his tenure, Maryland
    saw homicide rates drop by 41 percent. He established a new Violent and
    Organized Crime Section within the office and instructed his
    prosecutors to utilize an ``Al Capone'' model of prosecution, using all
    available legal means and resources to get repeat offenders off the
    streets. He also established a new Civil Rights and Special Victims
    Section, a dedicated unit focused on prosecuting hate crimes, civil
    rights violations, and crimes committed against our most vulnerable
    populations.
      Mr. Barron's incredible value to Maryland is exemplified by a case of
    federal-local partnership that led to a major crime bust. Ivan Bates,
    Baltimore's State's Attorney, approached Mr. Barron for assistance in
    getting the federal resources necessary for a wiretap. Mr. Barron
    personally lobbied law enforcement leaders and secured those
    resources--and after a 6-month operation, 39 people across 4 criminal
    networks were arrested, 67 firearms were confiscated, 15 stolen
    vehicles were recovered, and more than $350,000 in drug money was
    seized. That is the power of an effective partnership.
      Now that his term as our United States Attorney has ended, I join
    Governor Moore, former Governor Hogan, and law enforcement officials
    across our state in thanking Mr. Erek Lawrence Barron for his tireless
    efforts to make our streets safer and our communities more secure. I
    congratulate him on his many achievements.

                              ____________________