Even a gun bust made by Baltimore's top cop can't buy jail time.

Two men arrested by Baltimore Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III on New Years in a dramatic encounter has ended with plea agreements that don't result in prison for either defendant. The commish isn't talking, and so far neither is the mayor, both of whom have been making gun arrests a priority of fighting crime.

So here we have the city's top cop coming face to face with two guys with guns -- a rifle and a shotgun -- and for all practical matters they walk. If these aren't bad guys with guns, I don't know what it is (Here's an audio clip of Bealefeld's confrontation from police radio).

Getting bad guys with guns is the new police slogan. At left, Maj. Terrence McLarney talks about a gun seizure in December, in a picture by Kim Hairston.

Prosecutors note that the charges were misdemanors, not felonies, and Mayor Shelia Dixon  offered tipid criticism, issuing a statement that says: “I am disappointed by this outcome. This is why I have been pushing for legislation that would require mandatory minimum jail time for people who possess illegal loaded guns.”

The public deserves some answers because if this bust doesn't lead to jail time, what will?

City officials keep talking about sending gun offenders to prison for five years and Dixon has testified in Annapolis to strip good-time credits away from people serving time for illegal firearms possession, to ensure they stay in prison the maximum amount of time. So what happened in this case?

Hopefully we'll have more ansers for tomorrow's paper.