Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African American man, in Baltimore Police Department custody led to a wave of protests. After violent clashes broke out, Hogan declared a state of emergency and activated the Maryland National Guard. Several thousand National Guard troops, Maryland State Police troopers, and others were eventually deployed in Baltimore to quell violence. In July 2015, Hogan announced the closure of the decrepit Baltimore City Detention Center, which had a long record of poor conditions and dysfunction. He did not notify Baltimore City mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake or leaders of the state general assembly of the plan. Civil liberties and reform groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union, Public Justice Center, and Justice Policy Institute supported Hogan's move. The last prisoners were moved out of the jail in late August 2015. In 2016, Hogan reopened the Maryland State Police Barrack in Annapolis, which had closed in 2008 as a cost-saving measure. In September 2019, Hogan directed Attorney General Brian Frosh to prosecute more violent crime cases in Baltimore City. He said that the city's justice system was too lenient, citing an example of someone who had a pending murder charge but was set free. Marilyn Mosby, the State's Attorney for Baltimore, disputed Hogan's characterization of the city's justice system. Hogan authorized state police helicopters to fly over Baltimore City and ordered an increase in the enforcement of outstanding warrants. Hogan vetoed legislation passed by the Maryland General Assembly in 2015 to restore the voting rights of persons convicted of felonies following their completion of prison sentences. The General Assembly overrode the veto. The law applies to about 44,000 former prisoners. In 2021, Hogan vetoed bills that would "raise the bar for officers to use force; give civilians a role in police discipline for the first time; restrict no-knock warrants; mandate body cameras; and open some allegations of police wrongdoing for public review." The Maryland legislature overrode his vetoes. In April 2021, Hogan vetoed a bill to abolish life without parole sentences for juvenile offenders. The legislature overrode the veto. In May 2021, Hogan granted posthumous pardons to 34 victims of racial lynchings in Maryland between the years 1854 and 1933. In late May 2021, Hogan vetoed a bill that would remove the governor from parole decisions made by the Maryland Parole Commission. The General Assembly overrode his veto during its 2021 special session. In October 2021, Hogan proposed a