Grant Rodgers

grodgers@dmreg.com

Martin O’Malley sought to portray himself as a criminal justice reformer on Monday night while defending a complicated record from his terms as Baltimore’s mayor.

Joi Latson, a black Iowa State University student, took the microphone at CNN’s Democratic town hall and said the former Maryland governor has a record that “contradicts” his campaign trail promises on criminal justice issues such as improving police officer accountability. Critics accuse O’Malley of introducing a zero-tolerance policing style to Baltimore that jailed thousands and prompted a lawsuit from the ACLU.

O’Malley said he was tasked with liberating Baltimore from “24/7 drug dealer occupation” in poor neighborhoods. He championed initiatives like increasing drug treatment opportunities and tracking use-of-force complaints against police officers, he said.

“There were a lot of lives that we saved,” he said. “I promised to improve how we police the police. We actually did start closing down open-air drug markets, and in the course of my executive service, both as mayor and as a governor, I never stopped searching for the things that work so we can do more of them to save and redeem lives.”

QUOTE: “I do believe that the fundamentals of American capitalism are still strong, but we need to shake ourselves out of this trickle-down nonsense.”

BEST MOMENT: CNN anchor Chris Cuomo asked O’Malley what he would tell supporters on caucus night if he doesn’t reach the 15 percent viability threshold in their precincts. “My message to the O’Malley supporters across this state is this: Hold strong at your caucus … because America is looking for a new leader.” There was applause from the audience, and several cheered loudly.

AUDIENCE REACTION: The audience interrupted O’Malley for applause several times, including when he called for turning climate change into a job-boosting opportunity. He also got applause for saying he had signed a transgender rights bill in Maryland.

More from Democratic town hall event:

Clinton, Sanders square off on vision, experience

Obradovich: O'Malley shines in final Democratic forum

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