baltimoresun.com

« Charlie Neeper, part 2 | Main | Two courtrooms, two police officers »

August 28, 2008

At least the crooks are dressing nicer ...

I love reading police blotters. The Baltimore Sun's Richard Irwin has turned it into an art form and one of the most popular items in the newspaper, online or in print.

Paging through the most recent Baltimore Guide that landed on my doorstep yesterday, I found three items in the "Crime Scene" column I just couldn't pass up. They're listed one after the other (if by design, genious, if not, then dumb luck). Either way, they made me smile:

1200 block W. Pratt St., Tuesday, Aug. 19, 6:20 p.m.: A man was arrested and charged with shoplifting fabric softener and air freshener.

2700 block Port Covington Dr., Wednesday, Aug. 20, 11:20 a.m.: A woman was arrested for shoplifting clothes.

800 block E. Fort Ave., Thursday, Aug. 21, 4:50 p.m.: A man was arrested and charged with stealing 33 ties from a store.

These came at the end of a long list of aggravated assaults, burlaries and robberies compiled by Jacqueline Watts. But the headline writer at the Guide got it right: "Man charged with shoplifting 33 ties."

Got my attention.

  

 

 

Posted by Peter Hermann at 11:15 AM | | Comments (0)
        

Post a comment

All comments must be approved by the blog author. Please do not resubmit comments if they do not immediately appear. You are not required to use your full name when posting, but you should use a real e-mail address. Comments may be republished in print, but we will not publish your e-mail address. Our full Terms of Service are available here.

Please enter the letter "q" in the field below:
About Peter Hermann
Peter Hermann started covering news for The Baltimore Sun in 1990, first in Anne Arundel County and, starting in 1994, reporting on the Baltimore Police Department. In 2001, he was assigned to Jerusalem as the Baltimore Sun's Middle East correspondent. He returned in 2005 as an assistant city editor overseeing crime coverage. In 2008, Peter returned to the beat as a daily reporter and blogger. A recent BBC report featured him in a segment on the harsh realities of covering crime in Baltimore.

Coverage will focus on crime trends, problems in neighborhoods in the city and elsewhere, profiles of victims and police officers and try to offer readers a fresh perspective on one of the most vexing issues facing Baltimore and its future.


Read more of Peter's reporting
Follow @phscoop on Twitter
-- ADVERTISEMENT --

Mark Hughes, a reporter with The Independent, a national U.K. paper, visits Baltimore to examine if police officers, drug dealers, prosecutors and politicians were accurately portrayed 'The Wire;' The Sun's Justin Fenton heads to London to compare crime trends between the two cities.

Most recent post:
Crime databases
Resources and Sun coverage
Articles by Peter Hermann
Crime headlines
A roundup of crimes reported in Baltimore City and Baltimore County

Resources
• Police agencies
• Community groups
• Local crime sites
• Court systems
Stay connected