A reader posted this comment on an earlier blog entry regarding the rapes in and around the Mount Vernon area:

"I live on the 500 block of Cathedral. Within the past three weeks I've seen an increase in car patrol at night.  But I haven't seen much in the past week.  PLEASE keep us updated on this story."

I'm getting a lot of notes and comments like these, some of which are addressed in today's column in the print edition. It's been a frustrating case to write about. Police initially didn't want to release any information, but were forced to once a detective posted sketches of potential suspects around the neighborhood.

The Mount Vernon-Belvedere Community Association and the University of Baltimore police sent out e-mail alert, but they contained contradictory and, in the end, wrong information. Then, at Tuesday night's community meeting at the Belvedere, police blamed the media for the lack of information. We get the reports, the officers told residents, and we choose what to report. They reminded residents that incident reports are public information and available.

Usually, that's true. But in this case, not only did the media NOT get any reports, the police have steadfastly refused to even make public the general addresses of where the rapes occurred. They would only tell us Mount Vernon. Turns out three rapes were in Mount Vernon, two in neighboring Mid-Town Belvedere and two others, well, we don't know yet. They won't tell us. Police said only two of the rapes, on St. Paul Street, appear to be related.

On this morning's Ed Norris show, the former city police commissioner once again complained on the radio about the lack of information. He noted the absurdity of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police sending out a news release about stepped up enforcement of suspected drug traffickers on I-95 ("if they're listening, they might as well stay home over the next few days," he said) while the city police still refuse to tell people about a serial rapist.

On a previous show, Norris said the cops should be making a public show of enforcement in Mount Vernon both to assure the public and to scare up suspects. At the very least, the commander of the Central District, Maj. John Bailey, did tell residents that he has six plainclothes officers questioning people every night and building a database of suspected criminals wandering around. 

"We have a sense of urgency," Bailey said.