Baltimore officer chases down county robbery suspect
Yesterday I posted a news release from the Baltimore County Police Department promoting an awards ceremony tonight. One name on the long list jumped out -- Baltimore City Police Officer Hikeen Crampton.
I wrote about Hikeen in 2001 when he graduated from the police academy. He grew up on a crime-infested drug corner in West Baltimore, but instead of turning to drugs as many of his friends did, he befriended a city police officer. He then grew up to become one. Here is the beginning of that story:
The snapshot shows a skinny, shirtless kid from a tough neighborhood wearing an oversized police hat, his outstretched arms embracing a child's fantasy of someday becoming a cop.
More than a decade later, the grown boy strikes a nearly identical pose, youthful exuberance replaced by a confident gaze, in another photo. This time, the police hat is his own. Hikeen D. Crampton Sr., whose childhood bedroom overlooked one of the city's most notorious drug corners - Mosher and North Calhoun streets in West Baltimore - has returned home to exorcise the demons of his youth.
The 22-year-old graduated from the police academy Monday and requested assignment to the Western District, a rough slice of decaying real estate that Crampton says has only gotten worse since his days growing up at 1401 Mosher St.
His old neighborhood is pockmarked by vacant lots created by the city to rid streets of boarded rowhouses. "R.I.P." graffiti cover storefronts and dwellings - public death notices of the young men gunned down in the pursuit of drug profits.
"Everywhere you turn you see `Rest In Peace,'" Crampton said on his first day patrolling his old neighborhood, standing in front of his childhood home. "It reminds you of a cemetery - it just doesn't have any tombstones."
I lost track of Crampton over the years but often wondered what had happened to him. He's made the paper a few times -- he got hurt when he was hit by a car in 2002 while making a drug arrest, and in 2005 he arrested one of the men in the Stop Snitching video.
Seeing his name on the Baltimore County commendation list, I called the department and got an advanced copy of a speech that will be delivered tonight by Maj. Joseph Burris. Here's the part on Crampton:
On September 26, 2007, Baltimore City Police Officer Hikeen Crampton was off-duty traveling in his personal vehicle when he observed an armored car robbery in progress at a bank in Baltimore County. Officer Crampton observed a guard being assaulted and the subject fleeing the scene. With shots being fired by the victim guard, Officer Crampton gave chase and successfully apprehended the suspect and held him until Baltimore County Police Officers arrived on the scene. The exemplary actions of Officer Crampton resulted in the apprehension of a suspect and the development of at least two additional suspects in this case. The Department thanks Officer Crampton for showing exceptional courage and commitment in apprehending this suspect and hereby awards the Commendation to Officer Hikeen Crampton.
