Crime spike in Northeast Baltimore causes concern
For decades, veteran police officers viewed Baltimore's Northeast Police District – dominated by middle-class, low-crime neighborhoods -- as a "country club" assignment.
But a rise in crime in some neighborhoods is changing that sentiment. Shootings and violence have been on the rise in the district – the city's largest, spanning 17 square miles including Lauraville, Ednor Gardens and Belair Edison -- and it leads the city in murders this year. The Police Department recently designated two neighborhoods in the area as "violent crime enforcement zones" – putting them on par with some of the most troubled spots in the city.
Despite the spike in crime, the district largely remains a safe, middle-class enclave. And the violent crime around Clifton Park, an area long troubled by drug dealing, did not spring up overnight. Nevertheless, Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke, who represents the area of the district where most of the violence has occurred, said, "We all have a lot of work to do in the Northeast District. That's for certain."
Since last month, a squad of 15 officers from the Violent Crimes Impact Section has been patrolling the Coldstream-Homestead-Montebello and Belair Edison communities. That's on top of more than 20 foot patrol deployments throughout the district, which police and city officials hope will stem the 21 percent rise in total crime.
It's not just violence that's on the rise. Across the district, property crime has soared 23 percent, including a 50 percent increase in burglaries. Internal turmoil has rocked the police district, with a command shake-up and more than a dozen officers suspended or charged by federal prosecutors in a towing scandal in February, in which officers were accused of taking kickbacks.
Comments
With the economy doing so poorly for those struggling to make ends meet and not finding resources to survive. Then add the overwhelming population spurt of illegal aliens in the area and a police department that is less then forthcoming with their own crap. We need stability all around. The drug dealing has increased ten fold in the area and the dealers know the have the police by the balls.
They are not being tough as they are trying to show I do not know even know anymore. Be police and enforce I know a lot of you got caught up in whatever, but we need the tough ones to be alert and stop fussing about what is being cut and start protecting and serving again. I hear it over at the suppose 711 that the officers were being monitored at with the towing scam. Police worried about their pensions and futures. Wish they were worried more about the drug dealing a row over from there more.
Posted by: Annoymous | May 2, 2011 1:02 AM
But the Baltimore Sun in the last 6 months reported crime was down. I don't understand. Apparently everyone telling me I was wrong for not believing crime was down was wrong and I was right. Crime was never 'down' in Baltimore City. The people in the City live off crime, it's all the know. Heck, even our last Mayor was a criminal and it appears her citizens are following in Dixon's steps.
Posted by: Phillip | May 2, 2011 10:45 AM
The reason for the spike in crime is simple: Johns Hopkins Bio-Park and development in the city. You push people out of impoverished areas without any real compensation and just send them out into other parts of the city they will have to scratch even more in an even smaller area.
Posted by: Jon | May 2, 2011 12:08 PM
Ah yes. The BIOPARK is clearly responsible for a spike in crime. Let's blame development for people's bad behavior. I don't care if you live in Roland Park or a box behind the science center - you are responsible for your own behavior. Don't blame the Biopark or the government or the economy or video games or Snookie. The reason for the spike in crime is bratty behavior by people who are going nowhere and fully expect they will be dead by the time they're 30. It comes from a culture of violence and apathy, where parents buy their kids dirt bikes and let them unsupervised and then wail for the cameras when something happens.
Take responsibility and stop blaming an institution that is trying to change the slums and run down rat infested "houses" into something that benefits mankind instead of leeching off of it. But yes, let's bring back the tenements and slums so that we can have crime more spread out, so we can have more impoverished areas. Clearly the trade off is worth it.
Posted by: BP | May 2, 2011 2:30 PM
I do think that the JHU development pushed a lot of problems from one neighborhood into another. We moved into Belair-Edison before the Bio-tech buyouts started happening, which as I understand it required that those who were bought out to purchase elsewhere. Within months of this influx of new residents, gang graffiti was everywhere, break-ins were on the rise, we'd hear gunshots are night, and overall crime was up, etc. Not what the area wanted or needed.
We left about three years ago. No sense living some place in fear while all of efforts of a community to improve their neighborhood, parks, etc. can be nullified by the actions of a few. And to be honest, there was a fair amount of apathy amongst the long time residents of the community as well. It’s one thing to stay and fight with your neighbors but a completely different thing to be the only one on the block calling police when things were going down.
To say that the behavior was "bratty" is understating the problem entirely. I don't know what anyone can do to make parents do their jobs and actually be parents. Can you educate the youth so that they can see a future beyond 30 years old? Development in and of itself cannot fix that. I think Baltimore’s best bet would be the return to blue collar work to help stabilize the middle class population.
Posted by: b | May 2, 2011 6:47 PM
No, I'm pretty sure it is Snookie.
Posted by: Greg | May 2, 2011 9:33 PM
Thank you Jon. Your reasonable voice is appreciated. Some highlights:
"It comes from a culture of violence and apathy...."
"Take responsibility and stop blaming an institution that is trying to change the slums and run down rat infested "houses" into something that benefits mankind instead of leeching off of it."
Sadly with new section 8 policy they can actually move outward more into the burbs, and actually buy homes using our money now.
Dispersing crime will lead to the degredation of more once-safe neighborhoods. If you can't keep the human gargage out, at least keep it in a single centralized dumpster. No point in littering.
Posted by: Fred | May 4, 2011 7:08 PM