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Maryland state prosecutor flags rising misconduct and election-law referrals and limited staffing
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Summary
State Prosecutor Charlton Howard told the subcommittee his office has handled a rise in official-misconduct and election-law complaints and remains small (six full-time prosecutors), relying on grant-funded contractual staff to meet demand.
Maryland's state prosecutor described a growing workload of official-misconduct and election-law matters before the Public Safety and Administration Subcommittee and warned that staffing could become strained if referral trends continue.
Scott Benson of DLS summarized the OSP FY27 operating analysis: a slight decrease to about $5.1 million, two proposed deficiencies (~$158,000) and a staffing profile of 18 regular positions plus 13 contractual full-time equivalents, many of which are grant-funded. Benson noted large increases in complaints received by the office in FY25, including official-misconduct and criminal-conduct referrals.
State Prosecutor Charlton Howard said the office continues to pursue corruption and election-law cases across the state but has limited full-time resources. "We only have 6 full time prosecutors, including myself, to handle cases throughout Maryland," he said, highlighting a recent series of successful prosecutions and the creation of a special victims unit to address complaints alleging sexual exploitation and abuse by people in positions of power.
Howard described partnerships with the U.S. attorney's offices and a program that provides special assistant U.S. attorneys through the governor's grant to help address violent crime in specific counties while cautioning that those grant-funded roles are distinct from OSP's core corruption mission.
Delegate Keiser asked whether contractual positions should be transitioned to regular slots; Howard said some contractual roles are part of grant arrangements and that converting them is not always feasible. On election-law referrals, Howard and his staff said many referrals come from the State Board of Elections as reporting cycles and audits generate compliance referrals rather than immediate criminal matters.
The subcommittee expressed appreciation for OSP's work and requested continued updates on staffing, expected referral volumes and case-processing times.
