Earlier this week, I wrote about Nanci Gosnell who brought two carloads of Cub Scouts to the National Aquarium only to find her vehicles broken into while parked at a downtown garage. She called police and waited for 90 mintues, and finally left when they didn't come. It turns out the city officer went to the wrong garage (see today's story on a man suspected of breaking into cars).

This has started an interesting debate and discussion on this blog. Some parents think Gosnell should've tried to explain the situation better to her confused scouts, that things can be replaced and that they should be happy nobody was hurt. Others are more angry, seeing the situation as a demonstration of everything that is wrong with Baltimore -- crime and overburdened and indifferent police.

Several people have written in the comments section about how they too have been victims of car break-ins, some more than once. One woman, an attorney, complained that police came but didn't take fingerprints or bother pulling the video surveillance tapes. With so many of these break-ins, that sort of an investigation probably, and sadly, won't be done.

This is a crime solved more by the right cop being in the right place at the right time, catching a guy in the act -- such as the suspect mentioned in today's print column -- and then maybe getting him to confess to hundreds of other cases. One guy usually doesn't hit just one car. The problem with this approach, obviously, is that while police clear their cases, the suspect is still only charged with one break-in. And even if the judge reviews his history and hears from police about all the other cases, the judge still can't hand out a sentence beyond the guidelines for one theft, 18 months.

True, if police could build a case through fingerprints or DNA and charge one person with 100 counts of theft, then yes, the prison sentence would be substantial. But I know city cops don't have the resources for that. Cops go out and set traps and patrol to both catch and discourage the thieves.

Gosnell wrote me an email yesterday to add some thoughts:

I have been thinking about this incident. I heard from an officer offering me a report for my insurance - but not with a plan for trying to improve this situation. I am going to call her back and ask her for a plan of action and see what she says about it.

Ed Sherwin, president of Sherwin Foods, sent in this:

It is about time someone addressed the problem of car break-ins in Baltimore.  My wife and I dined at a popular downtown restaurant on Memorial Day.  We enjoyed our meal, and upon leaving the restaurant discovered the driver’s side window smashed in on my SUV which was parked on the street in front of the restaurant. We called the police and a polite officer explained that he had been chasing break-ins all afternoon.  Our insurance covered the damage, and the auto glass repair shop told me that they had 17 window repairs that day.

Both Baltimore police and the Downtown Partnership offer crime tips to prevent break-ins. Summed up, don't leave anything in your vehicle. No loose change. Certainly no iPods on the front seat. Plug your cigarette lighter in so thieves don't think you have a portable electronic device that needs charging. City police say: "Next time you leave your car, leave it empty."

Also, the Downtown Partnership sends a letter to judges whenever a person is arrested and charged with breaking into a car in the downtown area. It is to ensure the judge understands that it's not a minor crime. Here is a sample of that letter: