Baltimore's bakery giant John Paterakis Sr. doesn't talk much to the media. So I was surprised to get an e-mail over the weekend from a Victoria Paterakis. Like other readers, she is not happy with the way city officials report crime to the public, the subject of my column on Sunday. I wrote her back and asked if she was related, by chance, to THE PATERAKIS.

She reponded right away: "Yes, John is my father-in-law."

She also said I could post her e-mail:

Dear Peter:
 
As an avid reader on daily local crime reports and what crime trends are being reported. I also have found that our hometown of Baltimore reporting system is far outdated.  I believe it is extremely important to keep abreast on trend and location of reported crimes for the purpose of protecting ourselves from becoming a victim of crime.
 
Reporting and posting this type of information for the purpose of public safety
needs to be updated more often than it is currently be reported or updated.
 
The lack of information is not protecting the public, but setting the public up in becoming victims of crime.  
 
Since Baltimore has unfortunately inherited a crime rate which by far is nothing to be proud of and in our battles to lower the crime rate, we must also protect our hometown citizens not by lack of crime information but by providing them with information that could and can protect them from the battle of crime and violence.
 
Victoria L. Paterakis