Maryland’s Department of Juvenile Services must immediately begin a pilot program to address youth-involved car thefts in Baltimore City and Montgomery County under a directive issued Tuesday by Gov. Wes Moore. The order will remain in effect until further notice. Moore’s office said the pilot is intended to reduce vehicle thefts by young people and connect them with intervention resources. The directive follows a fatal crash in Baltimore involving a stolen car driven by a 12-year-old. A 69-year-old motorcyclist involved in the Sept. 30 crash later died. “Public safety is my top priority,” Moore said in a statement, citing recent vehicle thefts involving children and young people and the severe injuries and deaths associated with some incidents. He said intervention should begin before a crash occurs. The Department of Juvenile Services said it plans to expand coordination through existing “Youth of Concern” meetings to identify young people at risk, respond to incidents and connect youth and families with services. The department said the approach would include younger children receiving community or residential services through the Child in Need of Supervision process. Moore’s office said Maryland could draw on a Minnesota program launched in 2021. The state also hopes to build on Thrive, the juvenile services department’s gun-violence prevention program. The governor’s office must receive an initial status report on the pilot by Dec. 1; the directive does not specify measurable targets or a final deadline. The initiative follows other changes to Maryland’s juvenile justice system. A 2024 law requires young people charged with motor vehicle theft to receive a Child in Need of Supervision petition, which can make services available to them and their families. The Youth Charging Reform Act, which took effect Oct. 1, makes it harder to charge young people as adults, though some serious charges, including first-degree murder and rape, still go directly to adult court. Senate Minority Leader Stephen Hershey Jr., a Republican from the Upper Shore, questioned whether the directive changes how the state handles juvenile crime. He also pointed to its release about four weeks before the Nov. 3 general election. Hershey said the plan lacks measurable outcomes, a deadline for showing results, and additional funding or enforcement authority. He said Maryland families’ concerns about juvenile crime and accountability remain unaddressed.