Maryland parole officer's murder sparks rally for bill to improve on-the-job safety
BALTIMORE — Members of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Maryland Council 3, rallied on Monday in support of the Davis Martinez Public Employee Safety and Health Act.
House Bill 176, would require Maryland Occupation Safety and Health to develop a standard for preventing workplace violence and hold public employers accountable for their employees' safety.
The proposed bill was introduced after the killing of 33-year-old parole officer Davis Martinez in May 2024.
Martinez was killed during a home visit to a convicted sex offender in Montgomery County. He had been an employee of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services for six years.
Martinez was found dead inside an apartment after he went to conduct a wellness check on 54-year-old Emmanuel Sewell. Officers visited Sewell's apartment after Martinez did not report back to work, and found his body inside, according to police.
"How far up the chain of command did this go? Why wasn't anyone else in that chain of command concerned that Davis had not come back to the office yet?" said Gypsy Barrientos, Martinez's girlfriend.
The bill has been formally introduced and will make its way through the legislature this session. Those behind the bill are confident it will pass.
"Death of Davis Martinez must not be in vain"
AFSCME's rally outside the Maryland Statehouse was organized to draw attention to the Davis Martinez Public Employee Safety and Health Act.
"It's to ensure that workplaces have a workplace safety plan and an antiviolence plan on the job," said Patrick Moran, president of AFSCME.
Moran believes this tragedy could have been prevented had there been protocols in place for supervisors to follow in these types of situations.
"They have the rules for us, but as regular front-line employees, there often aren't rules for the boss to follow," Moran said. "And we need to make sure that there are rules for the boss to follow."
The bill is backed by the large showing at Monday's rally and by lawmakers, including Sen. Benjamin Kramer, who vows to do everything to make sure this doesn't happen again.
"The death of Davis Martinez must not be in vain," Kramer said. "Let us galvanize us to act, to commit to policies and practices, and in this case, laws that protect those who protect us."