The story in the Sun.
The guys who attacked him, in what seems to be a case of road rage, were quick to drop the N-Bomb and talk about hanging Detective Cook, who is black.
For just being cut in the eye, give Cook credit for being calm on professional on the phone.
Officers move from the city in part so they don’t have to carry their gun. That’s not always a smart choice.
Baltimore homicides at 33-year low!
And Frederick Bealefeld deserves credit.
He’s the best commish at least since I’ve known Baltimore (which goes back now about 11 years and six commissioners). And unlike certain past commissioners (yes, Eddie, I’m talking about you), Bealefeld isn’t a felon.
[note: Convicted felon Ed Norris was a chicken-shit coward bastard to me on his radio show. I liked him then. I don’t like him now.]
On the 2600 block of McElderry. Here’s the storyin the Sun.
Lest people think Baltimore is all ghetto, I’ll link to a Sunfeature showing some of the homes in nice neighborhoods. [The low prices listed for these neighborhoods almost make me want to move back!]
Funny that Greektown, where I lived, didn’t make the cut.
Like they do every day. But this time there was more snow.
From Vice magazine.
News travels, even to Bangkok. The story in the Sun.
And while I’m at it, here’s a story about Commissioner Bealefeld wanting more foot patrol. Maybe he read my piece on foot patrol, “Angels in Blue: The Virtues of Foot Patrol.”
Problems in Baltimore Internal Affairs? I’m shocked. Shocked!
Neither, I suppose, is Justin Fenton. Here is his story in the Sun.
Remember the whole Staples affair from my era? “Stolen” confidential police files that then showed up in a Dunkin Donuts dumpster? You can’t make this stuff up.
And you wonder why cops don’t trust the system…
Mostly I just like the headline.
But as usual, Peter Hermann has interesting things to say. Particularly about suspended sentences. That’s the crazy concept where you do a crime, get caught, get convicted, get sentenced, and then don’t serve time. Not even in theory.
Guest, when was 15, he shot another youth in the head and pleaded guilty, but spent just under five years in prison. Guest [now 32] died later at a hospital [after being shot by police].
Guest had a convoluted series of prison stints. In 1994, a judge delayed imposing a 13 year sentence for the murder and instead put him away for three years for a handgun violation to give him a break. He served one year for the gun but in 1999 he got arrested on a drug distribution charge. Another judge then reimposed the 13 year sentence for the killing and folded an 8 year term for the drugs into that. The judge suspended four years, meaning Guest’s total sentence was nine years. He got out after serving 4 and a half years because of credits earned while incarcerated. Later, he got sentenced to another three years on a drug conviction but was out in one.
It includes 5 days of furlough and 2 more days of paid vacation. I would have liked that. I suspect most police do not.
Comp time (at 1.5 : 1) instead ofovertime for court? The number of arrests will plummet!
Given that most police want to work more hours, not fewer, and this contract is designed to give police less money, it won’t go over well.
One nice change is the “officers will no longer be forced to work six-day weeks.” Six on and two off was just about the worst conceivable way to work 40 hours/week. What’s the new system?