More on no show cop and liquor hearing
When we last left this story, the Baltimore liquor board had to dismiss a case against a Fells Point bar because the city police officer didn't show up to testify. The charges involved a fight and underaged drinking in Carl Reefer's Bar and Grille on Broadway.
A city sheriff's deputy told the board that he had sent the summons, but there was apparently a mixup that unfortunately is all too common. The officer, Fredericko E. Dickens, was in field training in the Southeast District when he responded to the bar in February. He was later transferred to the Southwest District, and the summons got lost somewhere inbetween.
The issue frustrated police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi, in part because the police commissioner has made a huge deal of late of cracking down on problem bars and holding owners responsible. That is difficult when cases go south for simply not showing up in court.
"We have to get a better system," Guglielmi told me, noting that "the paper system we have in place now isn't doing it." He thinks electronic notification might work better, for the right now, we rely on the mail, and that can't seem to keep up with the way officers move around.
Twice since moving to Fort Avenue in South Baltimore, I've gotten court summons for police officers in the Southwest District, because I share the same numbered address as the Southwestern Police District on Font Avenue, even though its a zip code away.
And Guglielmi himself said he received a summons to testify in a case involving a man the commissioner had arrested (the spokesman was with him at the time) but the paperwork didn't arrive at his office in police headquarters until a month after the hearing had ended (the trial is still scheduled for August). He still keeps the document in his desk in case someone asks why he failed to appear at the trial.
And just moments after I spoke with Guglielmi, another case at the liquor board went south because a city officer wasn't there. This time, it involved allegations of prostitution at the Jewel Box on The Block. Detective Fletcher L. Jackson of the vice unit wasn't available to testify and, as liquor board chairman Stephan Fogleman noted, "Reluctantly we have no choice but to dismiss the charges."
Comments
There is an easy solution to this problem that has been happening for years. As a Baltimore Police Officer I can tell you the FTA rate has always been high, there are numerous reasons for this but I will give the short version, this is not meant as an excuse or meant to condone it, the work schedule is six days on then two days off, think about this, your already working 48 hours in the week, then you get scheduled for court on your two days off, now you have worked eight days with no days off because you were in court, and now it is time to work your six days on again, then guess what? your scheduled for court again on your days off. If you think about the heavy work load and not having any family time is it really rocket science on why the FTA rate is so high, I mean occasionally your wife and children like a little attention and sometimes your just plain worn out, try working a 4x12 shift and you get a hot call before shift change and now your there until 4 am or 5 am and your scheduled for court, well do I need say that your thinking well if I go to court I might be there all morning or afternoon and I still have to work 4x12 again, I think I will go home and sleep instead. Now the solution is two fold, first were the only jurisdiction that works this crazy schedule which the city loves because they get so many more hours worked from you for the same salary because there is no overtime in the 6 day work schedule, so you need to change the work schedule, the second part of the equation is to shedule court only on the months that an officer is on daywork which is every other month and not on the officers days off. This would mean that your already working and can be put on call for court meaning the FTA rate would drop tremendously.
Posted by: TEB | July 16, 2009 9:02 PM