Shooting

Shooting (Sunday, November 8, 2009, 1:38 AM) – Officers went to the 1100 block of Madison Street for the report of shots fired. One victim was found with a gunshot wound to the right leg. He was transported to shock trauma. Neighbors reported hearing the sounds of an altercation before hearing several shots. The investigation is continuing.


View Larger Map

5th Homicide Of 2008

Location: 80 West St.
Public Housing: Very close proximity.
Nature: Injuries from apparent robbery attempt.
Record homicides for 1 year: 9.
2007 homicides: 9.
2008 homicide pace: 18.


View Larger Map

April 8th, 2008

On April 8th, 2008 at 9:00 AM, the Office of
the Medical Examiner ruled the death of Russell Myers Lockett III as a homicide.
Specifically, the cause of death is listed as pneumonia, aggravated by blunt
force trauma. Mr. Lockett was 53 years old at the time of his death, which was
March 17th, 2008 at approximately 8:15 AM. A brother of his was located in
Edgewater. The brother reported that as far as he knew, Mr, Lockett was homeless
for about the last year of his life.

On March 15th, 2008, The Anne Arundel County Police responded to 1000 Bestgate Road for a report of an injured subject, who turned out to be Mr. Lockett. He was suffering from what paramedics diagnosed as a broken rib and a punctured lung. Mr. Lockett told officers that the night before, on March 14th at about 8:00 PM, he was attacked by an unknown suspect while he was near 80 West Street. He said that he was knocked down from behind and that he thought that the person went through his pockets before running away. He said that he had nothing of value to steal on him. He, as far as is known, did not report the attack to anyone nor seek any kind of
assistance. He made his way out to Bestgate Road on foot. Employees of a nearby
bank reported that several homeless people camp in the woods behind the bank.
Mr. Lockett was taken to Shock - Trauma for treatment, where his condition
worsened until he passed away.

When first notified of the incident, Annapolis officers checked the vicinity of 80 West Street for any indications of a crime scene. None were found. Even though the attack was said to have occurred the night before, the area was canvassed for witnesses, again, none were found.

This case is actively being investigated as a Homicide. Anyone with any information is asked to call police at 410-268-4141.

To view a picture of Mr. Lockett, please go to:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y50/hdalton/LockettRussell.jpg

Homicide

The fourth murder in the city this year took place late last night in Robinwood, a public housing community. Continuing at the current pace, the city would see 13 or 14 homicides this year, which would easily shatter the record of 9.


View Larger Map

Released on March 17th, 2008 at 7:00 AM
HOMICIDE

On March 16th, 2008 at 11:21 PM, Annapolis Police Dispatch received several calls for shots fired in the 1300 block of Tyler Avenue. A male victim was found lying on
the ground near 1368 Tyler Avenue suffering from gunshot wounds. Paramedics
pronounced him as deceased. He was identified as a local 17 year old, but not a
resident of the immediate neighborhood. (Robinwood). His identity is being
withheld pending suitable time for family notifications. 1368 Tyler Avenue
has no known association with this crime except as a point of reference as being
the nearest physical address to where the victim was found. There is no known
motive or suspects at this time, and investigators are still seeking witnesses
or other people with knowledge of the circumstances.

This is the fourth homicide in the City of Annapolis in 2008.

2008 3rd Homicide

The date in the press release is the wrong one, because February 18th hasn't happened yet, but the point is made:

Date: February 17th, 2008
Release Time: 06:45 AM

View Larger Map

RE: HOMICIDE

On February 18th, 2008 at approximately 12:30 AM, Annapolis
Police Dispatch received a report of shots fired in the 1300 block of Tyler
Avenue. Upon officers’ arrival, a victim was found suffering from a gunshot
wound(s) inside a car. He was identified as a white male from Severna Park. He
was flown to Shock - Trauma in Baltimore, where he succumbed to his injuries at
approximately 430 AM. His identity is being withheld at this time pending family
notifications.

No suspects or motive are known at this time. The
investigation is still in the active initial stages, and further information is
either not available or not appropriate for release. This is the third homicide
in Annapolis for 2008. ( The first two were a double homicide on January 18th at
Bens Drive )

Further information will be disseminated in this same
manner when available and appropriate. Updates are also posted on the web at http://www.annapolis.gov/report.asp?page=7243.

The shooting took place in Robinwood (public housing), which is not unusual. The racial element of the crime, however, is unique. All of the homicides in 2007 involved black perpetrators and black victims. This is the first white victim of a homicide since I have been paying attention.

How Do Other People Deal With Public Housing Crime

One strategy for fixing problems is to look at people who have solved the same problems in the past, and do what they do. While Annapolis looks to San Francisco, Europe, and China to solve global warming problems, it seems to ignore the other jurisdictions that are facing public housing issues.

Apparently, Charleston, South Carolina faces the same problem:

The story of the Gadsden Green public housing evictions is as complex as it
is tragic.

In October, six boys, ages 14 to 16, were arrested for allegedly
confronting people on Wentworth Street late at night in two separate incidents
and demanding money. One of the victims was shot in the hand with a pellet gun.

The six youths were members of five families — all headed by women —
who lived in Gadsden Green. In signing their federal Housing and Urban
Development leases, the women had agreed that if serious criminal charges were
brought against any member of their respective families, the whole family would
be subject to eviction.

Misplaced outrage from a city council member sounds eerily familiar (they even have a President St. near their public housing):

Last Saturday, Charleston City Councilman Wendell Gilliard held a rally for
the five families at Nichols Chapel AME Church, across President Street from
Gadsden Green. About 50 people came out in support of the families.

There was a jarring disconnect Saturday between what I saw in that
small church and the reality of what was going on.

"I chose to work from the church," Gilliard intoned to his
constituents. He went on to invoke the name of Martin Luther King, Jr. He called
the eviction of the five families from public housing a lynching and said the
HUD code that made the eviction possible was a Jim Crow law.

Gilliard shamelessly played the victim card, demanding that HUD put
central air conditioning in Gadsden Green and revamp their eviction
policies.

The conclusion arrived upon by this columnist:

Most of the talk last Saturday was about the rights of the five families. I wish
the councilman and his constituents had given some consideration to the rights
of the citizens of Charleston to not be robbed by young punks on the street.
What about our right to live in safety, councilman?

and the 'second' from one of his commenters:

As an MUSC employee, that area west of Rt 17 would be better utilized as
privately-owned, tax generating, student and employee housing for medical
residents, as well as CofC students and faculty. Right now it's a blight which
we avoid for the obvious reasons, and we refer to the highway as the "moat" to
keep out the riff raff. There must be a more suitable location for
this population up the peninsula or in North Chuck. A lot of us used
to be social liberals but we've had it with having to constantly be confronted
by these creeps.

It appears that HUD is perfectly willing to punish residents that commit crimes, so the "it's not Annapolis property" argument fails. That the administration denies that a problem exists is unacceptable, and that we would further allow offenders to live on untaxed property is an abomination. There are things that can be done.

More Homicides Narrowly Avoided; Stray Bullets Fly Into Houses

Perhaps my headline skews the facts, but check out these two events from today's police report. Both are public housing areas.

THREATS: On January 23rd at 12:30 AM, a 20 year old resident of 711
Newtowne Drive was threatened as she was standing outside of her residence. The
victim said that an adult female with whom she is familiar came up to her and
started an argument over an unspecified matter. The woman*s 15 year old son then
came up and joined in the argument. He then told her that * he had something for
her* and ran towards his residence. A few minutes later, she heard two gun shots
and ran out of fear for her safety. She did not see who fired the shots, but
felt that it may have been the juvenile who had just threatened her, as she said
he has bragged before in the neighborhood about possessing a gun. The victim did
not report this until 3:30 the next day, and the other parties involved could
not be immediately located. The investigation is continuing.

SHOTS FIRED: On January 23rd at 11:08 PM, an officer, on patrol, heard
numerous gun shots coming from the 1300 block of Tyler Avenue. Upon
searching for the source, he found that the front of a townhouse had been struck
by four or possibly five bullets. The occupants were checked on, and no one was
injured. One bullet came all the way through a front room, coming to rest inside
a closet. Officers searched the area for suspects with negative results, and the
investigation is continuing.

Police Department "Did You Know"

The Mayor recently sent out a fact sheet regarding the police department, a strategy and position that will be futile in mitigating the backlash stemming from her inexplicable denial that the crime trends are going in the wrong direction.

I was not on the Mayor's email list, but fortunately the document found its way to my highly active email inbox, allowing for this analysis. Actually, it's not really an analysis; the problem is evident--a blind man could see it in a minute. Let's take a word-for-word look at the mayor's response to demands for action.

The Annapolis Police Department received National Accreditation in March, 2004 and was reaccredited in March, 2007. This puts the APD in elite company along with only 29 out of 183 police agencies in Maryland and 593 of approximately 17,000 police agencies in the United States.

Here we go! This fact is irrelevant; the elite accreditation status of the APD has nothing to do with our crime problem. "Fully staffed departments with effective tactics don't solve crime--accreditations solve crimes", the saying does not go.

Annapolis Police are among the highest paid and have the best health and retirement benefits in the state. The current pay for newly hired officers -- $44,630.00 annually -- is among the highest in Maryland. It is substantially higher than the starting salaries paid by Baltimore City, Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County, Howard County, and Montgomery County.

The problem here is that the $5000 hiring bonus is included in that $44,000+ figure. So, the first year they make that much, but in the second year when there is no bonus, they have to take a pay cut to under $40,000. Not good. And not better than other jurisdictions.

There have been 51 officers hired since 2002 and 7 new officers were hired in 2007.

But how many retired? And how many positions remain vacant despite funding? And most importantly, even if we hired ten thousand officers, is crime getting better? (Answers: a handful, 18, no.)

The national clearance rate average for homicides is between 50-75%. Annapolis' clearance rate for homicides consistently surpasses the 80% mark. Over the past 5 years, the department has cleared 17 of 19 homicides. In addition, the clearance rate for all crimes reviewed nationally is about 21-22%. The Annapolis Police Department averages 30% for all cases reviewed.

First of all, how can the clearance rate average be between 50 and 75%? If you have national statistics, you should have a single number. Anyway, a city where you know all of 100 murderers is inferior to a city where you don't know the only murderer. See what I'm saying? But, good work to the APD for the higher than average clearance rate.

Chief Johnson, Captain Imhof, Captain Marshall, Lieutenant Powell, Lieutenant Della and Sergeant Hall have all received training at the FBI National Academy.

I have received training from the Oxford Institute for Influential Blogging, yet this is merely the 63rd most influential political blog in Ward 5.

Captain Simpson, Lieutenant Powell and Lieutenant Cynthia Howard have all been trained at the Southern Police Institute.

George W. Bush went to Yale.

1/3 of City of Annapolis Police Officers have either some college or full degrees.

Enough already. Nobody is doubting the ability of the rank officers. The issue is: without their full compliment of resources--specifically more officers--they cannot be fully effective..

The training process to become a member of the Annapolis Police Department includes 6 month training at a police academy and 8-12 weeks of field training. The entire process takes between 8-10 months. Annapolis uses police academies in Howard County, Baltimore City and occasionally Frederick. Training dates vary and occur between late September and early January.

This "did you know" is becoming more and more unrelated to the issue at hand. Who is complaining about the training process? Actually, I want to complain--notice how (A) we don't have a police department of our own and (B) how we don't send our recruits to Anne Arundel County because they steal our officers away from us by offering higher pay!

The national ratio of officers per 1000 citizens is 1 per thousand. The Annapolis Police Department currently maintains a ratio of 3.6 officers per thousand citizens.

I recently saw this described as a "tortured" argument, which is highly brilliant commentary worthy of mention. Ratios such as this are not useful because:

1. The International Chiefs Of Police say so.

2. Annapolis has an abnormally high density of public housing, which accounts for most murders and a disproportionately high number of drug crimes.

3. We are a capital city and have a unique non-resident population.

I have chosen to present the mayor's document in it's entirety, so now you will have to read through some boring statistics before arriving at the next bit of brilliant commentary. Also, take a look at this article called Officer-per-thousand Formulas and Other Policing Myths. You'll particulary enjoy the part where it says "We have worked.........for managers with 3.6 officers per thousand who delcare they cannot do proactive policing without more cops". What a fabulous concidence--we have 3.6 officers per thousand!

Statistics - The numbers game

The charts included in the addendum of this report include data supplied by the Annapolis Police Department to the FBI that accurately reveals significant progress in the City’s commitment to improve public safety and security.

In 2005, 2097 violent crimes were reported, the lowest number reported in the City since 1990. And while it is true that 2006 showed a nationwide spike in crime levels, the 2,415 crimes reported in Annapolis were still far less than the levels of nearly 3000 crimes per year reported in the mid 90’s. As of July, the year 2007 is showing a downward trend-some 6% lower than last year, and 2% lower than 2005.

The charts also show that the number of officers currently on the streets protecting the citizens of Annapolis is consistent with, and, in some cases, higher, than historical numbers.

Some attempt to show crime rates by comparing the numbers of incidents with the census population of a city. These types of comparisons are convenient but inaccurate, especially when discussing a City like Annapolis. They do not take into account the common sense factor that the City of Annapolis entertains more than 4 million visitors each year and may, on any given day, have over 100,000 people inside her borders. The Naval Academy, St. John’s College and other state and federal residents and employees are not included in the census for Annapolis.

And, we're back. DID YOU JUST READ THAT???!!! The mayor speaks of the "common sense factor" that this city is a Capital city and has a high non-resident population. Isn't this the same common sense factor that would invalidate officer-to-population ratios?

Other destination communities like Ocean City, Maryland, with a census population of approximately 8000 and a non-resident population of over 200,000 on many days face the same challenge.

Statistics, when manipulated, can be used to “prove” that based on the number of crimes per 100,000 residents, Ocean City is a much more dangerous place than Washington, DC or Baltimore.

So let's forget ratios. The city for the second year in a row has set a record number of murders, with 8 and 9 respectively for the past 2 years. The early pace for 2008 is 36! Any worries? Plus, Ocean City is a terrible comparison that is not made anywhere else. Are you really trying to deny there is a problem?

Using the numbers, Ocean City, Maryland, a “city” of approximately 8000 people, would show a crime rate about 300% higher than the national average. Double or triple the rates of cities like Newark, Detroit, Baltimore and Atlanta. Using the census population to number of crimes comparison would lead one to conclude that they are four times more likely to be robbed, six times more likely to be burglarized, seven times more likely to be raped, and ten times more likely to be assaulted in Ocean City than in Washington, DC.

Common sense says that is simply not possible in a city of 8000 people.

But, when Ocean City’s public safety numbers are compared to those of a city of 200,000 – the number of people that may actually be there on any given day - they fall far below national averages. Richmond, Virginia has just under 200,000 residents. They had 84 murders in 2005. Ocean City had one.

So, are you saying that the tourists here are the problem? ARE THE TOURISTS THE PROBLEM? NO. THIS IS WHY OCEAN CITY IS A TERRIBLE COMPARISON.

Someone seeing the numbers alone could easily make the mistake of assuming that the crime rate in Annapolis is higher than that of the national average for a City of its size.

Or, they could call upon their first-grade arithmetic skills and understand that 9 murders is more than 8 murders, and try to fix a problem.

Again, common sense says that is not true.

If you want common sense, I'll give it to you. If you asked anybody who didn't follow the issue what to do about the crime problem, they would say fix the projects. That's common sense. We have a lot of public housing, section 8, subsidized housing--whatever you want to call it. And many to most of the drug and violent crimes happen in or near these areas, or by someone living in or near these areas.

When Annapolis’ numbers are compared to a city of 120,000-the number of people that may actually be here on any given day-they also fall far below the national average. Waco, Texas, a city of about 117,000 people, had 692 auto thefts in 2005. Annapolis had 150.

Statistics such as these do not consider the large numbers of visitors that swell the daily populations and create public safety of cities like Annapolis and Ocean City. Improving Public safety in Annapolis depends on working with the real statistics, and not playing a “number’s game.”

I mean, this is incredible. The mayor is intensely laboring to defend the record. To her, this is a problem of statistics. She is just getting to how she intends to "solve" the problem.

Public Safety Initiatives by the City of Annapolis –August, 2007.

1. Increase visibility of existing police personnel

The pool of personnel for public safety has been depleted nationally by the war in Iraq and other Homeland security programs. Like other jurisdictions around the country, Annapolis is facing new challenges.

Reduce the number of shifts at the Annapolis Police Department from the current five to three. This will increase the number of officers available for each shift and result in a higher level of visibility and protection and the most efficient deployment of available officers.

This is crazy. Rather than hire more actual officers, the mayor plans to adjust the patrols to make it look like we have more officers. Unbelievable. By the way, this is not a new idea. None of this stuff is a new initiative that the mayor has come up with in response to the increasing citizen concerns. This is all recycled ideas from last year.

Purchase 4 additional Segways. Segways increase “feet on the street” by providing greater mobility and allowing officers to cover a wider area.

So does a bicycle. Or more officers. Why do we need Segways? They are like thousands of dollars each.

Examine the feasibility of adding one horseback mounted unit to the City’s police force. Officers on horseback are highly visible and research shows that in crowd and emergency situations a single mounted officer is equal to ten officers on foot. This allows foot officers to be deployed elsewhere.

I once fell off a horse. Oh, and this is a terrible idea. Good for riot control, meaningless for drug enforcement.

2. Improve recruiting efforts

Returning from a National Conference on Employee Recruitment, Director of Human Resources Kimla Milburn offered new insights and outlined some tips for successful recruiting.

"In speaking with my colleagues from around the country, it is evident that we are all facing tremendous challenges in recruiting police officers," she said. "Positive statements about the department go a long way in encouraging people to consider a career with the APD. Negative articles and Letters to the Editor bashing the Department simply do not help. We need to work together to increase the level of interest in working for the Annapolis Police Department."

There is no shortage of applicants.

Enhance recruitment efforts by creating a team of ambassadors to help bring officers to the Annapolis Police Department. The team will include Director of Human Resources Kimla Milburn, Public Information Officer Ray Weaver and the members of the City's Public Safety Committee-Aldermen Ross Arnett, Dave Cordle and Alderwoman Sheila Findlayson."

Create new brochures and marketing messages and materials.

"A team of ambassadors" armed with wagon-loads of "new brochures and marketing messages and materials" is a steaming heap of useless horsecrap. I can tell you from several years of recruitment efforts that cash is king. It's not the only factor, but in the case of police, it is reasonable to assume that being an officer in Annapolis is roughly the same as anywhere else. That being the case, if we pay more, we get more officers. The mayor will have you believe that we pay more already, but since a $5000 signing bonus goes away, we really don't. (On a side note, the sister city budget is thriving).

Also, why should we even worry about this since our crime rate is so much lower than the national average?

3. Fight illegal guns and drugs

Request the City delegation to the General Assembly to submit legislation designating the entire City of Annapolis a Drug-Free Zone. This action will double the fines to anyone convicted of dealing drugs in the City.

I've never understood this one. Are drugs more illegal in some parts of the city than others? Why is there even debate on whether or not the entire city is a drug-free zone? I guess they teach that at the FBI National Academy and the Southern Police Institute.

“We need to send a clear message that dealing drugs in the City of Annapolis will not be tolerated,” said the Mayor. “Hitting dealers in their pocketbook, doubling their jail time and in general making Annapolis a hostile environment to this type of activity will help convince dealers that our City is not a place they want to be.”

Great. Couldn't agree more.

Request the City delegation ask for additional state funds for a comprehensive drug plan for both treatment and prevention in the City of Annapolis.

If we can get more money, fine. It doesn't hurt to ask. However, treatment programs benefit users rather than dealers, and don't get at the bigger crime problem.

Initiate a new illegal drugs and illegal guns task force with State & Federal agencies.

This was already going on--even before the mayor announced it the first time.

“In 2006, the Annapolis Police Department made 275 arrests on drugs and conducted 45 raids,” said Mayor Moyer. “The goal of this unified effort is to double the number of arrests and to make it crystal clear that the Capital City is not a Drug Capital.”

Yes, who knows how bad it would be if the message "that the Capital City is not a Drug Capital" was muddled and murky.

3. Forge partnerships with communities

Call on citizens to identify places in the City that need better lighting.

This, of course, would never happen because leaving lights on is anti-environment, and environmental chicanery is the #1 Moyer priority.

“Leave your porch and outside lights on or set them up on motion detectors-people that are up to no good don’t like bright lights,” said Mayor Moyer. “If you see a dark place, or a street light out anywhere in the City, call us and we’ll work with your Alderman, Public Works and BG and E to get the lighting improved. We want to help you improve your sense of security and safety in your neighborhood.”

Continue training for Neighborhood Watch. Since the beginning of the program in the mid 90’s, 7000 citizens have attended Neighborhood Watch training sessions. In the past year, over 1400 citizens have actively participated in the program.

The whole point of Neighborhood Watch is to identify problems, then report them to the police. The citizens are already doing this!

Continue the collaborative process with at risk neighborhoods.

This........

Continue the “Heroes” mentoring program for at-risk youths

....sounds......

Offer more real-world job skills training programs like the Sherwin Williams painting program that offers at-risk adults the chance to learn a marketable skill.

.......vague and without substance. Also, other training programs include the "Maryland State Archives historic preservation program", the "Parole Town Center city council lobbying program", and the "Worst Idea Ever, Al Gore memorial O-27-07 green collar job program".

5.* Develop a new agreement between the City of Annapolis and the Housing Authority on the use of existing dollars for public safety.

(*I don't know what happened to #4, so don't ask.)

HA!! "Developing a new agreement" actually means "figuring out how to justify not paying HACA the $200,000 we already owe them", because that's what's happening. Rumor is another lawsuit may be in the works.

"Since 2004 Annapolis has provided the Housing Authority with $200,000 to employ police officers to work as off duty security," said Mayor Moyer. "This money was to be matched with HACA funds for a $400,000 public safety program. HACA has not utilized all of the City’s contribution. It has also been unsuccessful in recruiting from other law enforcement agencies. We need to clarify accountability for services and define roles and responsibilities.”

No BS: I didn't read this last paragraph before making the "HA" comment--it was just sheer clairvoyance and understanding of the situation. The Mayor is feuding with Eric Brown and is not paying the city's invoices.

Ok, the rest of this you can read on your own--there's not very much more. By now I hope you get the point.

The Mayor proposes that a new and separate agreement of understanding be negotiated to include shared costs and partnership on:

-The use of surveillance cameras
-A sub station program
-Agreement on the assignment of undercover police in the area and enhanced Neighborhood Watch
-Implementation of community service programs for All HACA residents as required by HUD

New initiatives

-Continue working on a revitalization district for Clay and Washington Street
-Install speed cameras on Duke of Gloucester Street
-Propose amendments to the City Code to strengthen the noise ordinance

Request that the City’s Community and Housing Board review successful housing programs in other jurisdictions, research opportunities for home ownership and social service needs and recommend the changes in our federal housing program required to enhance public safety. Some changes may require federal or state legislation.

Double Homicide

Today is not a good day for public safety:

On January 18th, 2008 at 10:54 AM, a citizen went to visit a friend at
29 A Bens Drive. She received no response. The door was open, and she began to go in to check on her friend when she saw two people lying on the floor with some blood around them. The victims did not appear to be conscious, so the citizen retreated from the apartment and immediately called 911.

Officers and Paramedics arrived and determined
that the two victims, a male and a female, were deceased. Preliminarily, the
victims appeared to perhaps be in their twenty's. The case is being actively
investigated as a double homicide at this time. The cause/manner of death is
unknown as of now, however, all preliminary indications point
to a double homicide.

UPDATE:
The victims have been identified as follows:
Cecelia Brown, 50, of 29 A Bens Drive and Charles Cully, Jr., 29, of the unit
block of Marcs Court, Annapolis. The investigation is still in the active phase at this time.


View Larger Map

The location of the event is in a community called Bay Ridge Gardens (I believe), and while it is not a HACA community, to the best of my knowledge it is a federally subsidized Section 8 community. I would imagine the Mayor will be entertaining some more rhetorical bombs from angry citizens.

$37,000 Worth Of Crack Found In Eastport

View Larger Map

On January 16th at 11:33 PM, officers on foot patrol in the 1100 block of
Madison Street checked on a suspicious man seen loitering near building 1155.
The man fled upon the officers* approach, and could not be located. The officers
checked the area in which he had been seen, and a bag containing approximately
375 grams of crack cocaine with a street value of about $37,000.00 was found. It
was confiscated, and the investigation is continuing.

The location of the crime is 1 block away from Housing Authority Headquarters.

Consider Our Murder Rate

In 2007, Annapolis famously and regrettably set a record for murders with 9. With a population of about 36,500, this gives us a murder rate of 24.66 per 100,000 citizens. Baltimore and Detroit lead the nation with rates in the high 40's; Washington DC is over 30 for 2007, and if Annapolis were to be included on this list, we would be good for 12th or so.

Sample sizes being what they are, you probably would be unfair to make any sweeping conclusions based on this data, but it's nothing to overlook, and we want to make sure the trend goes in the opposite direction.

This data does, however, provide us with some interesting things to think about. While murders are undoubtedly correlated with public housing, it is not the only factor, and probably not the most important factor. If it was, Annapolis would have the highest murder rate in the country because we have the highest per capita public housing rate in the country** (I think). We are left to reason that policing, geography, level of resources, and crime strategy are all things that can affect the murder rate. In other words, we can affect this. Let's hope we do.

(**Highest public housing per capita claim disputed by someone who would know better than me. I do not have any data to publish. Make conclusions with caution.)

Shooting Last Night In Robinwood

I haven't seen this story anywhere else yet, probably because I haven't picked up today's paper, but I nonetheless have determined that I am "scooping" you kind people with this story, which I believe to be the first shooting of 2008.

The police today reported that they responded to a call for shots fired in Robinwood, a HACA community:

On Jan 6th at 10:04pm, officers with the Annapolis Police department responded
to the 1300 block of Tyler Ave for several calls for shots fired. Upon getting
to the area several casing were located but no victim could be found. Witnesses
reported that the victim had gotten into a white SUV and left the area. A short
time later a call was received for a white SUV that had been involved in a motor
vehicle accident in the area of Chinquapin Round Rd. When the officer arrived,
the shooting victim from the Tyler Ave call was located. The was victim was
identified as Keith Cornish 30, he advised he had been standing in Robinwood
when approached by another male. The male threatened the victim then shot him in
the leg. He was transported to Baltimore Shock Trauma suffering from a wound to
the leg. The investigation is still on going.


View Larger Map

Fact Of The Day (for last Wednesday)

The Capital on Wednesday reported that an Annapolis man was convicted of murder. The article listed the address of record as 2012 Forest Dr:


View Larger Map


This is what I would refer to as the 'old' Forest Dr., or the part of Forest Dr. that was rendered all-but-useless by the construction of Aris T. Allen Blvd.

Much of the crime debate in the city has broached the issue of public housing, and you will be interested to know that this address is NOT in a subsidized housing community, as far as I know, or even relatively near one. Food for thought.

Breaking: Shooting

A non-fatal shooting took place tonight in Robinwood, a HACA community.


View Larger Map

On November 30, 2007 at approximately 8:34pm, the Annapolis Police Communications center received multiple calls for reported shots being fired in the 1300 block of Tyler Ave, off of Forest Dr. The first officers on the scene found a male victim on the ground, in the 1300block of Tyler Ave. The victim was shot twice in the lower extremities.The injuries appeared non-life threatening, but for precautions the male was flown by MSP Medevac to Baltimore Shock Trauma Center. There is no suspect(s) information at this time. The name of the victim is being withheld until suitable time for family notifications. Investigation is continuing.

More Trouble In College Creek Terrace?

Mrs. Politics, who lives in Ward 2 within earshot of the location of the last homicide in College Creek Terrace, just phoned me asking for the phone number to the police department because she just heard 7 more gun shots.

(She heard about 15 shots on Halloween, the night of the homicide.)

I advised her to call 911 to report shots fired, and I suppose we shall see in tomorrow's news.

More Foo-Foo Crime Fighting Measures

Now that the city has equalled last year's total for homicides, the city has announced more measures for preventing crime, including requiring a drug treatment program and a gun offender registry. See article.

The use of such an offender registry in New York and Baltimore was cited as a justification for the program here, and as for spending $500,000 on a drug treatment program, Alderwoman Hoyle offers:

Can we afford (a drug program)? I say we cannot afford not to have
one. We're calling to help prevent deaths in our community.

To be honest, I am choosing to censor myself a bit on this subject because I can't back up what I want to say. But I will say is this: the first priority should be fully staffing the police department.

The mayor's administration has said on multiple occasions that they are focusing on the human element of this (or any other, I assume) crime; hence, the drug treatment program, etc. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe treatment programs are most effective for users, not dealers, and I also believe that dealers are more responsible for the correlation between crime and drugs.

These ideas are nice side dishes, but where's the meat?

Homicide

There was a homicide last night, which I believe is the 8th in the city this year. The victim was an 18 year old male, and the shooting occurred in College Creek Terrace, which is a HACA community near Clay Street in Ward 2:

At approximately 6:55 PM on October 31st, 2007, Police Dispatchers received a
report for several shots fired, with a possible victim lying on the ground
near 50 College Creek Terrace, Annapolis, Maryland. Upon the arrival of the
officers, an 18 year old male victim was found on the scene, suffering
from a gunshot wound(s). The victim was taken by ambulance to the
Anne Arundel Medical Center, where he was pronounced as deceased a short time later. The identity of the victim is unavailable at this time, pending notification to next of kin.

View Larger Map

I actually suspected that such an event may have occurred....I scared the bejesus out of Mrs. Politics when I arrived at her Ward 2 abode around 7:30, which she informed me was only half an hour after she heard multiple gunshots. As she says, "it's so sad to think that somebody's whole life is just gone."