I'm trying not to get to fired up over this new round of Baltimore city politicians blaming police officers over spikes in crime. But the fact still remains Bealefeld, that officers are over worked, under paid and have two much pressure on them to begin with.
So why don't you grow a pair. Try telling your friend the mayor and the city council to do something substantial like hiring another 150 officers and increasing the pay by 15% across the board. Then maybe the good, experienced officers you have now won't be making a lateral in two years.
And let's combine that with pressure on the prosecutors to stop cutting deals left & right; filing and following through with charges on the parents of minors out after curfew; more lock-up time for these kids involved with gangs; fines & reparations for parents whose children commit these crimes.
Let's try backing up our Police Officers as opposed to blaming them for what the public is guilty of.
Tom Greywolf
Baltimore police officers fire back, outraged over recent criticism by Police Commissioner Fred Bealefeld.
Will A More Aggressive Approach To Crime Fighting Lead To A Safer Baltimore City?
Baltimore police officers fire back, outraged over recent criticism by Police Commissioner Fred Bealefeld. At issue is how to stop an alarming spike in violence, some aimed at innocent residents.Adam May has more on this growing controversy.A number of officers spoke off-camera Tuesday, critical of leadership at the police department and at City Hall. They say, don't blame them for weekend crimes.Baltimore City's reduction in murders and shootings over the last two years is now threatened by spikes of violence almost every weekend this summer. One reason, according to Bealefeld, is the performance of some patrol officers."We gotta make sure everybody is operating with the same degree of urgency and I'm just not convinced of that right now," Bealefeld said."Morale is at a tough point right now," said Bob Cherry, Fraternal Order of Police.The Baltimore Police Union is firing back. They recently put up a billboard critical of city leaders and are claiming that officers are underpaid and overworked."You can beat down these officers so much because you can only expect that many hours or that many arrests and efforts before you say enough is enough," Cherry said.Last weekend alone, three people were killed and 13 hurt in 10 separate shootings. And it's not all drug violence. Teenage gang members are suspected in a string of beatings and robberies in Fells Point."We can change how this community is acting right now. We can change the results of so much crime happening. The kids don't have a sense of a partnership, ownership, someone to talk to. We have to change that," said Larry Bell.Bell, who runs a program for at-risk youth, believes government leaders are missing the big picture."With the decrease of the PALS programs and the closing of parks, pools and rec centers, this is a high priority right now because these young people are really crying out for help right now and they need as much as they can get," Bell said.The police union agrees."We expect more from the current mayor and commissioner in terms of making sure it's not just the police you blame, it's everyone else," Cherry said.The police department has more than 100 vacancies right now. Most officers who quit the department just leave for higher paying jobs in other jurisdictions.The commissioner plans to add more foot patrols, improve gang intelligence and use more video surveillance to crack down on the violence.
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