Police Responses to Current Issues

Police and City Responses to Current Issues: September, 2008

In response to
Trucks Activity
(original comments posted under "Police or City Response" on various dates in Spring 2008)

REGARDING TRUCKS AND TICKETING:

May 21:

12- Over Weight (10.000) Commercial Vehicles stopped
8 - Moving citation issued to Commercial Vehicles
2 - Verbal warnings
2- Commercial Vehicle delivering to H&S Bakery with documentation

May 22:

7 - Over Weight (10.000) Commercial Vehicles Stopped
3 - Moving Citation Issued
1- Verbal Warning
3- Commercial Vehicles Delivering to H&S Bakery with documentation

* Commercial Vehicle traffic appeared to be very slow in the Local truck zone today. Drivers may have been communicating on there radios that the local truck route is being strictly enforced.

May 23:

5 - Over Weight (10.000) Commercial Vehicles were stopped
1- Moving Citation Issued
2 - Commercial Vehicles were delivering to H&S Bakery W/documentation
1- Commercial Vehicle delivering to Meyers Seed on S. Caroline Street
1- Commercial Vehicle Driver Advised he was delivering to H&S , however he passed H&S bakery and could not produce any documentation of a delivery, he was then issued Moving Citation

* Commercial Vehicle traffic appeared to be very slow in the Local truck zone today. Drivers may have been communicating on there radios that the local truck route is being strictly enforced.

It is very obvious that the word is being passed around to commercial drivers that the local truck route is being enforced.

Police will continue to enforce the Local truck Zone, hopefully in a few weeks there will be very few commercial vehicles attempting to use this route.

In response to
Trucks Activity
(original comments posted under "Police or City Response" on various dates in Spring 2008)

DOT STUDY RESPONSE:

Sorry for the delay, folks.

Regarding the DOT Truck Route Study (the working group held their first meeting in April 2008)-
it has been determined that the pilot area for the study will be Orleans Avenue to the north, Interstate 83 to the west, the city/county line to the east and the water to the south. The streets within these boundaries seem to experience the hightest volume of truck traffic in the southeast area. The goal of the working group is to finalize terminology, pinpoint trip generators, clarify posting needs, and develop proposed routes. The group will meet during the next three to four months.

The final Southeast Tranportation Plan is ready for viewing and will be available on the Department's website shortly. I will provide a link once it has been posted.

In response to
Trucks Activity
(original comments posted under "Police or City Response" on various dates in Spring 2008)

Starting tomorrow, there will many unhappy truck drivers. There is a police rep who's primary duties are to monitor and enforce the truck routes, and he will be in full force tomorrow, and following up on your previous complaints.

First, if trucks are working in the area, they are allowed to drive through it. There simply is no other way for them to get to their jobs.

Second, for safety reasons, trucks will not be pulled over in the Fell's Point areas, but police will wait until they are on Boston Street or other areas to enforce. So just because 'Pointers aren't seeing the tickets being issued, doesn't mean it's not happening.

Finally, specific enfractions can continue to be logged and will be followed up on.

Rowen may be legal, but J&J will be contacted.

In response to
H&S Trucks
(original comments posted under "Police or City Response" on March 11 2008)

Sgt. Dillon comments with the following: "I will have someone go to H&S bakery and speak with the owner about his drivers and the complaints. Then I will do enforcement about one week later to make sure that they do what they are suppose too. Fred"

In response to
Trashy Neighbors
(original comments posted under "Grime and Public Nuisance" on various ocassions in early 2008)

Mayor's office response:

"All of the SRs below have been followed up with. Often residents see their neighbors continuing the same behavior and assume that the city hasn't taken action. Let the bloggers know that when an item is entered into 311, there a system, City Stat, that tracks whether agencies are following up on their request. The following are the outcomes of the 311 complaints.

- 30953 (727): No Violation found- January 21

- 30955 (1720): Citation Issued January 22

- 30958 (1722): Citation Issued January 22

- 30960 (701): No Violation found January 22

For the locations where no violation was found, have the residents continue to put them into 311. Remind them to get as much information as possible. I am still awaiting an answer in reference to 1802 Eastern. More information will be forthcoming."

There are also plans to revisit several of the above addresses in the near future.

In response to
Portugal Street Trash, Fire and Parking
(original comments posted under "Grime and Public Nuisance" on various ocassions in early 2008)

Regarding parking issues, as has been stated numerous times in this blog, Parking enforcement for Baltimore City seems to be completely ineffective regarding proactive responses. They don't comment or respond to our inquiries either, and are the one city agency that doesn't.

Bureau of Solid Waste is the department for all of your other issues. Their response is as follows:

"In regards to the speeding, I will bring that to the attention to the
Collections Chief, who is responsible for recycling collection crews."

"All crews have been notified to place back the cans where they got it after collection and clean any spillage as a result. There is no excuse to toss a can or leave spillage on the street or alley, Citizens are strongly encourage to report any such act to us directly through email or by calling the Customer Service Center at 311. We ask for the truck number if possible which is boldly written on both doors and the upper body of the truck or the license tags.

Regarding the fire debris, we are responsible for cleaning fire debris after the investigation is complete. I will check the system to see if the request has been transferred to us from the Fire department and schedule removal tomorrow."

Any issues that continue, you can contact Valentina I. Ukwuoma, Bureau Head, Bureau Of Solid Waste at Valentina.Ukwuoma@baltimorecity.gov

---------

As of 11:30 this morning, Solid Waste has still not received the request from the fire department to clean the ally. Right now that's where the holdup is, as the investigation is assessed. Hopefully they will resolve it soon and get that request over to Solid Waste, who will act promptly on it once received.

As for parking, yes you need to call 311 and no you don't have to leave a number, but can remain anonymous if you do. But parking control rarely shows up. One of these says we will seriously have to begin a campaign to get them to perform better. Until then, I encourage anyone who does not get a response from parking control to e-mail the mayor's liaison, Karli Swift, at Karli.Swift@baltimorecity.gov

In response to
Ding How Sanitation Issue
(original comments posted under "Grime and Public Nuisance" January 23, 2008)

...As for Ding How, that was their grease barrel. They did not have a minor privelege to have it there and were fined.

In response to
Graffitti
(original comments posted under "Crime Activity" June 28, 2008)

Graffitti is a notoriously hard crime to fight and prosecute. You have to catch the offenders in process and then fight the triage system of your 911 call. Luckily Fell's Point has a great cop on the front lines of what others think of as "petty crime". His name is larry Fasano and he can be reached by emailing him at fasano@baltimorepolice.org

If you see the "perps" in action, take a photo if you have a camera handy and immediatly call it in to 911, NOT 311. Say you have a destruction of property in progress. The "in progress" is important to mention. Then describe the "perp" in detail, and request that an officer respond to you in person if you are nearby and available. Request to search for the "perp" when they arrive.

If there is a pattern to the offenses, common areas and times, get in touch with Larry. It's amazing how seriously he takes "minor" crime, and he's always in the FP area on bike patrol.

Unfortunately, short of catching the guy in the act, you have to call in grafitti removal for graffitti on your property or public property. 311 will walk you through that process. If the property belongs to anyone else, you have to prompt them to make the call.

And if you do happen to catch a snapshot of a graffitti offender, please email us the shot and we'll post it.

In response to
Gough Street Shooting
(original comments posted under "Crime Activity" May 24, 2008)

Regarding the one at Gough Street, the victim was shot in the head. There are no leads at this time.

In response to
Kressen Street Crime
(original comments posted under "Crime Activity" Various dates in 2008)

KRESSEN STREET PROGRESS:

1/The vice unit recovered a gun along Kresson Street lasr Tuesday night. 2/ The State's Attorney's Office is working to get an eviction for the renters in the area that have had raids made and arrests were made. 3/ The Kresson Street members continue to report issues to the police and the police are activity working on this area. Some members have started attending the public meeting at the station. 4/ The street light that is out along Kresson Street should be replaced within the next 5 to 10 business days and our SE Liaison of the Mayor's Office has helped me escalate the request to get that lighting fixed.

In response to
Canton Crime, Gas Station, Mugging, Slow Response Time From Police
(original comments posted under "Crime Activity" Various dates in Spring, 2008)

The Mayor's Office Response: "Several of you have expressed concerns about public safety. The Southeast district is aware of your concerns and plans to hold a community meeting to address your concerns and specific incidents that have occurred over the past few weeks. Please plan to attend and voice your concerns. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Meeting info: Southeast Police District, Tuesday, April 15th at 7:00pm, 5710 Eastern Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21224

In response to
Castle Street Fire Cleanup
(original comments posted under "Crime Activity" on February 26, 2008)

Bureau of Solid Waste is the department that handles fire cleanup after the investigation is complete. You can ask them to check the system to see if the request has been transferred to us from the Fire department so they can promptly schedule a cleanup:
Valentina I. Ukwuoma, Bureau Head, Bureau Of Solid Waste at Valentina.Ukwuoma@baltimorecity.gov

In response to
Car Break Ins
(original comments posted under "Crime Activity" on various ocassions)

Police report the following: "We have a special plainclothes detail in the district addressing just that as we speak. Also, officers are aggressive in stopping individuals who are hanging in those areas. The cameras are used in this capacity, but the cameras are not usually in areas with high
car break in rates, they are in areas that are more prone to violent crimes. Arrests have baam made for car break ins recently, but there is still much workto be done. Please remind people that to keep there cars clean on the interior and not to leave valuables inside the car unattended. Items may include laptops, mp3's, cd's, gym bags, backpacks, gps systems in the dash, purses, wallets, checks, clothing, and other types of containers that make a criminal wonder what's inside... Report suspicious people to 911 with a full description and explanation of why they are suspicious. Talk to your neighbors and build a strong community network, friends who can help lookout for you and your property, and vice versa."

In response to
Castle Street Issues, Fleet Street Rape
(original comments posted under "Crime Activity" in November/December, 2007)

Police report: "No robberies nor any aggravated assaults have been reports in the area of Castle St. If something did occur, it seems to have gone unreported, or perhaps was an incident that was not a crime (although unlikely).

Next, a woman did make a report that she was raped in the area of Fleet St near Ellwood and Decker St. The sex offense unit is investigating. There is not much of a description other than hispanic male, dark hair, average build. The suspect was scene in a grey SUV type vehicle. He is not believed to be from the area.

Police and City Responses to Current Issues: November 9, 2007

In response to
Fell's Point Square Perv
(original comments posted under "Crime Activity" on November 2, 2007, lifted from an e-mail sent earlier)

The complaintant, who left contact info in the original e-mail sent to us a few weeks ago, is being contacted by the police who have commented the following: "I spoke with Officer Faisano and he knows who the individual is. Can you get back in touch with the complainant and ask her if she is interested in pursuingcharges? Officer Faisano will put together a photo line-up for her.

In response to
Kresson Street Issues (Various Blog Entries)
(original comments posted under "Crime Activity" on different days)

All recent calls to police were tallied regarding this area. There were 129 calls for service during the past 90 days. Out of the 129 calls only 2 - calls concerned narcotic activities and both calls were coded "no suspicious persons on the block upon arrival" no reports written. There were 24 police reports written: 7 - were theft reports (bad checks or property stolen from The Loading Dock) 6- were misc. towed vehicle reports. the remaining reports involved domestic disputes, missing person, injured person, and common assault reports. The calls police have received for service are not consistent with the staements on the blog. Interested residents are welcomed to attend the next Major's meeting at the Southeast District on 06 Aug. 07 and discuss their concerns privately with operation's Lt. Brown.

and later...
1. The shootings are currently being investigated and Detectives are pursuing leads. At present no further information can be released.

2. The 911 activity in that area reflects mostly disorderly and CDS related activity with the exception of course of the shooting call.

3. The area is on the readout list for all three patrol shifts reflecting the request for special attention. Additionally operations officers have been in the area providing enhanced enforcement.

In response to
Suspected Drug House at 425 S. Durham (Various Blog Entries)
(original comments posted under "Crime Activity" on different days)

Because of this recent spike in violent crimes, resources are directed to these areas to prevent retalitory shootings. This does not mean that all other enforcement actions are indefinitly placed on hold. Ongoing investigations are suspended but are continued upon stabilization of the area that is experiencing violent incidents.

In response to
Rape at Patterson Park
(original comments posted under "Crime Activity" on August 8, 2007)

There was a reported rape of a F/W/21 at 122 S. Patterson Park Ave. on July 8, 2007. The case is still under investigation no suspect(s) have been aprehended at this time. I really can not disclose a lot of information because of privacy issues. The helicopters were conducting surveilance for the 2 officers that were shot on Monday around 6:30pm. Both Officers have been released from Shock Trauma and are expected to make a full recovery.

Police and City Responses to Current Issues: June 22, 2007

In response to
Suspected Drug Houses (Various Addresses and Blog Entries)
(original comments posted under "Crime Activity" on different days)

Regarding 3412 Mt. Pleasant Ave.: A search and seizure warrant has recently been executed at that address, and also at 3406 and 3408 Mt. Pleasant as well. The wheels are in motion there, as well as at other addresses who also recently had search and seizure warrants executed including 1905 Aliceanna St. 219 S. Duncan , 213 S. Register St. Additional information on these and others are pending and an update will be provided. Regarding the other addresses provided: comments are inappropriate at this time. Please check back.

In response to
"Smedly's" Report of Crime Rash
(original comments posted under "Crime Activity" on May 11th)

The Police Department has issued us the following feedback: "I have investigated your request for Information concerning Zoe's Garden, ID8, The Dominican Bar and the dog grooming establishment on Fleet St and 1700 Fleet St (Robberies). I checked the Database from 01/01/07 to present. None of the above listed business were listed on the database as being robbed. The following is a list of businesses that have been robbed in your area since January: Burger King 2033 Eastern Ave. 1/20/07 - warrant issued. The Colonial Inn 2001 Eastern Ave. 02/02/07 - Cleared by arrest. AAA Metro Temps 1701 Eastern Ave. 06/01/07 Not cleared. Bank of America 524 S. Broadway 02/02/07 not cleared. The remaining reported robberies were classified as occurring on the street. I also checked with Southeast District Burglary Detective , Derrick Layton concerning possible burglaries reported at the aforementioned businesses. Det Layton advised there were no reported burglaries at those locations."

In response to
Crime at the Square, Trouble with Vagrants, and Vehicle Crimes along the Lancaster and surrounding Corridors (Various E-Mail and Blog Entries)
(original comments posted under "Crime Activity" on different days)

It seems from the pattern of e-mails and blogs offered, a variety of different crime activity in the lower Fell's Point area may in fact be related. We have discussed the tremendous quality of life burden the constant infringements have resulted in, and the police, while maintaining that the area is constantly patrolled (point argued by some due to lack of evidence) seem to understand the need for greater action. There official comments are, "I advised Officers Fasano and Zayas of your concerns regarding Lancaster and the square (Vagrants) Officer Fasano has an entire book of the vagrants he has arrested in those areas. I also placed special attention notices in the Major's readout book. The info. regarding Larceny from autos and vagrants will be given special attention on all patrol shifts during there roll call prior to there tour of duty."

Please continue to be vigilant and call the police to report crime activity, REGARDLESS OF PAST RESPONSES.

Police and City Responses to Current Issues: January 31, 2007

In response to
Lack of Parking Control/Police Response to a 311 Call Made
About a Large Tow Truck Illegally Parked
(original comments posted under "Police (and City) Responsiveness Issues" -
January 26)

Ken Strong from Parking Control (who is ultimately responsible) has not responded to our e-mails. The police have, and can't understand why this particular call for service took so long. Apparently, when a call doesn't get answered promptly, the breakdown or delay can occur in a variety of places. In order to monitor these breakdowns when they occur for feedback and accountability reasons, as well as to help avoid the service delays in general, the police offer the following advice:

Document the date, time location and the nature of the complaint, include a full description when ever possible of suspects ie. sex, race, age, height, weight and clothing. Document vehicle information to include make, model, year, color, how many doors, and state tag number. Try to include compass points when given direction. (ie the car is parked on the southwest corner.) Also ask the 311 operator for a confirmation number. This will assist with any follow up and will help us determine what may have happened with your complaint. Also remember that all calls to 311 aren't always handled by the police. 311 sort calls according to the nature and type of call and then assign it to the city agency that is responsible ie parking complaints would be handled by Parking Enforcement. Each city agency has its own radio system for receiving calls for service. A call dispatched to parking enforcement would not be handled by the police department. This may explain why police officers did not stop to handle this parking complaint. You can choose to call 311 and request to speak with an officer about the nature of the complaint. Even then, the 311 operator still has the final decision on whether to send an police officer or someone from another city agency. The 911 operator will dispatch an officer only when you give the criteria for an emergency or a call that the police would otherwise handle. For example; There is a vehicle parked on the southwest corner that is suspicious; the driver parked illegally in front of a fire hydrant and I believe this vehicle maybe stolen, due to the way it has been there for the last few hours. If you whish to remain anonymous, get a crime watcher number (call NSU at 410 637 8848), or have the officer meet you at a location other then your home address. (ie the Royal Farms Store) and talk to the officer in person. Make sure you ID the officer for follow up later.

In response to
Flier Littering and 311 Sanitation Responders Issuing Inappropriate "No Violation Found" Reports
(original comments about fliers posted under various categories, and "No "Violation Found" report posted under "Areas in Need of Attention, December 21st-)

The Sanitation Department official Dale Thompson has issued the following feedback:

"I looked into some of the SR's for your area and found that citations have been issued to several of the businesses that have been of community concern. I did note that in some cases the clerk had noted the outcome wrong and had stated no violation when in fact a citation had been issued. In some cases not violation was correct and when I reviewed the officer's pictures of the no violation there was no flyer photographed on the property. There was one case where the officer had visited the wrong property.

The primary business that seems to be the generator of the most SR's is the Latin Palace who has been cited numerous times for posting flyers without the owner's permission. Because of the number of complaints and the number of citations that have been issued for the posting violation as well as other violations, the Latin Palace has been referred to the Health Department for additional enforcement. The Health Inspector will visit the business and advise them that they must comply with all City codes or risk having their operating permit revoked."

As for accountability issues regarding inappropriate "No Violation Found" reports to trash dumping or fliers, Ms. Thompson reports:

"I will meet with the Computer Section to possibly add to the SR information to have more details in the SR results regarding why no violation. Usually when the SR states no violation it means that when the officer visited the property they did not find a flyer on the property when they did the inspection. Should the citizen have questions regarding the details of the officer's actions they can either call to speak to the Enforcement Captain, Captain Rich on 545-6497 or they can contact me on 396-8618."

Police and City Responses to Current Issues: December 18, 2006

In response to
Trash Offenders on the 200, 300 and 400 block os S. Broadway
(original comments posted under "Trash Grime and Nuisance Issues" - Nov, 30, Dec. 8 and 12)

The Department of Solid Waste has convened a group of city, community and elected officials to help monitor and prevent the ongoing trash problem along the 200 400 blks of Broadway. Representatives from Sanitation Enforcement, Collections, Health Department, Councilman Kraft's office, the Mayor's Office of Hispanic Affairs and Office of Neighborhoods, the Assisi House, Fells Prospect and others have met to discuss this problem and have taken the following actions:

Sent out letters and flyers to businesses and residents (bilingual) informing them of the proper methods and days to dispose of trash
Created special holiday "sweeps" to issue citations to residents and businesses who placed out trash on the holiday, and had a special collection crew clean up the debris
Surveyed the residents and businesses to ensure that they had adequate trash receptacles, and to better understand why people are placing their trash on non trash collection days and to better target enforcement efforts
Organizes cleanups of the blocks with residents and businesses

In response to the
Recent crime surge in the area of 1800 Eastern, 400 S. Ann, 400 S. Durham, 1700 Bank Street area (roughly one square block)
(original comments posted under "Just in: Recent Crime Activity" Nov. 10 and 13)

A new police camera has been installed at the corner of Eastern Avenue and Ann Street in response to recent crime activity there. Police cameras are statistically proven to deter crime, and to aid in the arrests of criminals who defy them.

In response to
Unsolicited Fliers Left on Cars in SE
(original comments posted under "Area's in Need of Attention" Nov. 25)

Two of the places of business have been contacte by SouthEast Baltimore CrimeWatch: Sonars and Huckas. Sonar has repetedly shown support for the elimination of this type of advertisement, and has been very firm with their promoters who disregard the law. They asked to be contacted whenever a Sonar flier is placed illegally. Additional comments and contact information for Sonar can be found in a december 6th entry under "Area's in Need of Attention". Huckas said they too were concerned with flyers being sent with the establishment's name on it. They said they received a letter from Councilman Kraft regarding the matter, and that these flyers were not made by Huckas, but rather distributed by groups that were hosting an event at the bar/restaurant. Huckas was asked to create a policy or warn those groups planning on hosting events there that if they continue such actions they would not be welcomed back. They were very nice and sounded concerned and would like to see this stopped as well.

Police Responses to Current Issues: November 29, 2006

In response to the
Police Officer Deferring Taking Action on a Truck Offender to Parking Control
(original comments posted under "Trash Grime and Nuisance Issues" - Nov, 26 and 27)

In this case the officer may have been able to do something, but because I was not there to actually see the situation I can not speak on it. Here are a few things that the citizen should know.

1st: A vehicle parked more than 48 hours is considered abandoned, but a police officer or agent of Parking Enforcement must first mark the vehicle tires to indicate that it has not moved from its position in 48 hours.

2nd: No vehicle is allowed to park within 8 feet of a stop sign, driveway, or alley entrance or exit, 15 feet of a fire hydrant, and 30 feet from any intersection.

3rd: Is the area zoned Commercial or Residential? If residential, no commercial vehicle is allowed to park for more that 1 hour unless the operator of that vehicle is performing some kind of residential work. An officer or parking agent must determine via listing of the vehicle whether it is commercial or residential. Again, a police officer or agent of Parking Enforcement must first mark the tires.

4th: A Vehicle Hazard is any vehicle leaking oil, fuel or antifreeze, broken glass, all or several flat tires, heavily damaged due to an accident or fire, and is incapable of being secured, and meets two or more of these conditions.

5th: Any vehicle that is parked with trash and debris that is not properly secured is a housing code violation.

6th: It is a violation to work on any vehicle on a public street.

7th: Check out (baltimorecity.gov) click government and then click "law".

In response to
Police not responding to a 911 call regarding car burglaries in progress
(original comments posted under "Just in: Recent Crime Activity" - Oct 31)

Further investigation has located the records of three 911 calls made, one at 10:59pm, another at 11:00pm. Both of these calls were tagged "do not contact reporting person". The 3rd call was made at 11:04pm. This time, when asked if the reporting person would be available for contact if needed, the caller responded affirmatively. There is no record if this information was provided to the responding officer. At 11:28 an Officer Hibler responded to the call and cleared it based on the fact that he could not find the complainant. It's not clear if the officer did not get the information about contacting the reporting person, or if he deemed it was not necessary to do so. Also there may be a distinction between being available to speak to an officer, and requesting to speak to an officer, and the responding officer may have acted on this distinction.

During conversation with a variety of city sources, it became clear that Baltimore City does not have the same policies that other counties do regarding responding to 911 calls. In Anne Arundel county, for instance, it is policy that every 911 call gets a follow up. In Baltimore City, there are "triage" and "time-out" policies that may prevent some calls from getting a response at all, based on perceived severity, officer availability, and whether or not a response was issued within a standard 20-minute time period.

Police Responses to Current Issues: November 13, 2006

In response to the
Chronic Offenders who frequent the 400 block of S. Durham Street
(original comments posted under "Chronic Offenders")

Follow up has continued, although there has been some interruption as key players have been on work-related medical leave. However residents have confirmed that the homeowner seems to be allowing the offender to stay there, despite assurances to the police that she would no longer be allowed in. Therefore, police have offered a variety of information on how to seek a "nuisance household" status for a particular property. Evan Helfrich, and A/S/A with Housing Court might be able to shed some light and guide the way. His phone number is (410) 396-4140.

Additionally, Melvin Penn of BCPD will be attending several public meetings at which he will be happy to further discuss the ins and outs of pursuing an option of this sort (as well as offering other feedback on all your blog topics). A COP meeting is scheduled on November 16th at 2238 Eastern Avenue (2nd floor rear over the Chesapeake Bank). The meeting starts at 7pm.

Tonight at the Patterson Park Neighborhood Association, Penn will also be a guest speaker. It's at 7pm, inside St. Elizabeth's Church at Baltimore and Lakewood.

In response to
Police not responding to a 911 call regarding car burglaries in progress
(original comments posted under "Just in: Recent Crime Activity")

Astonishingly enough, the police, who checked into this twice, found absolutely no record of this call, or any thing like it, having been made. We are still trying to figure out how all records of a very detailed 911 call can just vanish. Hopefully, there will be more information on this topic to come, as several other bloggers had shared similar 911 "no show" stories since then.

In response to the
Flyer Offenders in SouthEast Baltimore
(original comments posted under "Areas in Need of Attention")

One of the two offenders, Sonar in Baltimore, has been contacted. Their response has been very cooperative. In addition to offering the fact that they warn against this type of promotion, (and letting us know that they will step up on those warnings) they go a step further in taking full responsibility: ".....Also feel free to call me if it happens again. I would not mind sending whoever did it down there to clean up the any messes they made or even penalize an opening band or outside promoter they were the ones who did it." Full comments are posted under "Area's in Need of Attention"

The other offender, Five NightClub in Washington has not been able to be reached for feedback.

In response to the
Recent crime surge in the area of 1800 Eastern, 400 S. Ann, 400 S. Durham, 1700 Bank Street area (roughly one square block)
(original comments posted under "Just in: Recent Crime Activity")

We are trying to get confirmation from police that they have been made aware of the particulars of this crime activity and will step up patrolling. We are also looking into whether or not arrests have been made. Key players are out on medical leave. Check back here for an update as soon as it is available.

In response to the
Off duty police officer who reportedly responded aggressively and pulled a gun on an alleged drunk driver
(original comments posted under the initial introduction message)

Without the video, identity of the officer, victim interview, or a variety of other information available, it is difficult to speak specifically about the incident, and comment as to whether or not the actions of the officer was clearly appropriate or not. Specifics about the comment "how inappropriate the officers language and questionable actions were during the situation" would also need to be shared. However, comments can be made about general policy and perception in such scenarios.

First, an officer should not be withdrawing his weapon if he is impaired. However, for a variety of reasons, there is no rule about withdrawing a weapon after having indulged in alcohol. For some on-duty undercover or plain-clothes officers, having a drink may be necessary in protecting identity in certain circumstances. And in the case of off-duty officers (who are, of course, allowed to indulge), it's in everybody's best interest if they remain allowed to, if motivated, respond to any crimes they may witness.

It is policy that an off-duty officer call for help before approaching a perpetrator. An off duty or plain-clothes officers will sometimes receive a different initial reaction as an officer in uniform, and this can often be a danger to all involved. So having other officers en route is important. Also, this will also often account for some behavioral changes on the part of the officer. For the sake of all, they need to communicate very clearly and immediately that they are a police officer and responding to a possible crime. A misunderstanding of either of those two important facts can be dangerous. The officer must be taken seriously from the start and will often act accordingly to do so.

Finally, the way a police officer looks at a vehicle is not the same way the average person does. They know from training and experience that a 3,000 pound vehicle is a weapon-weather or not the person who is yielding that weapon intentionally plans on hurting anyone. People reacting nervously to an officer, or misunderstanding the officer's intent or instructions can seriously injure themselves or others with a vehicle. Therefore, under certain circumstances, an officer will often react to a person behind the wheel of a car in much the same manner as someone else who has in their possession a deadly weapon.

Of course, none of this means that you didn't observe behavior that was excessive. As mentioned earlier, it's difficult to tell from the information provided and without continued follow up (an option that is certainly available, should witnesses wish to pursue it. In fact, the circumstances that affect how an officer behaves under such circumstances may explain somewhat excessive behavior in some instances, and be the extenuating circumstances for more significant excessive behavior in others.