Shhhhh: Don't Tell The Mayor

The Capital today sadistically featured alternative police vehicles, a measure certain to tempt the mayor's fancy for such things:

You will be tempted to yield to the argument: "You see? This other jurisdiction was smart enough to get these vehicles. Annapolis should too."

Not so fast!

"It's another tool we can use. It's great for crowd control," said Officer Matt Warehime of the Department of General Services Police. "You can get out to different areas you can't get to in a car."

Likewise, Officer William Jackson said the Segways are good for crowd control
and have the added benefit of being able to go inside buildings.

Mr. Collins said the solar cart, Segways and bikes allow his officers to do a
better job keeping the government complex secure. And they have the added
benefit of being good for the environment.

When was the last time you heard someone say "man, if only we could control those crowds in the public housing, our city would be so much better"? Umm, never. Let's do stuff that fights drugs and violent crime, like filling police officer vacancies.

No News On Police Officer Hiring

Pervading through all the discussions of crime in the recent months has been one particular theme: hire more police officers. Specifically, hire 23 more officers to fill the vacancies in the police department that are already funded.

The mayor's response to this cry has been mixed, at best.

Her original position was that we did not have a crime problem--that violent crime has been decreasing. But the actual crime data made this position an inconvenient one to defend.

The next incarnation of her policy statement assured us that Annapolis offered competitive salary and benefits; therefore, we are doing everything we can and we just have to live with the shortage. The war in Iraq had caused a nationwide shortage in officers, she said. But then we learned that the salary figures she used were not accurate, and in fact that the city had not offered an entrance exam in more than a year, so no new officers could be hired regardless of salary offered.

The city finally administered the entrance exam, and AP asks, where are we now? Have we hired any new officers? Are we planning to?

An email to Public Information Officer Ray Weaver, asking him the above questions, is un-returned as of this writing. I just sent the same email to Hal Dalton, the police department spokesman.

Many times in politics, a certain cause gains steam, chugs along for a while, then putters out. I shall strive to ensure that this issue does not share a similar fate. Just because we don't hear about a problem doesn't mean that it's solved, and we should demand answers.

Perspective From A Police Officer

In a post yesterday, I asked of any police officers who happened to read this blog to provide some insight as to the recent happenings regarding crime and the police department.

A fine citizen identifying him/herself as "APD Officer" answered the call. This person left his remarks in the form of a comment, but I think it's useful to highlight them in a post.

So says APD officer:

The truth is that the officers are embarrassed for the mayor. Ellen Moyer has done more for the officers than any other recent mayor. Unfortunately, she has taken up lying in recent weeks. First she took the officers clothing allowance away and then sent her attorney to lie and say we never had it. We are still fighting that over a year later.

Then she said that we made 5k more than we did so she could say our wages are competitive. A flat out lie that she continued to use even after we pointed it out to her. Then she talked about the need for Segways, yet she had refused to buy any in the past (the two we had were shipped back to Segway since they were on loan). Then Ellen proclaimed she would change the work schedule. Changes in the work schedule have been underway for almost a year!

Then the mayor decided to join a DEA task force! Yup, it's true; we have been in the task force for at least 10 years. Let's not forget the building we live in that she built! Full of mold, tied up in the courts and unusable. The mayor has yet to do anything to hire new officers. The test that was given was offered to people who applied to APD up to a year ago. Just business as usual. Nothing new. We have 6 people retiring by the end of the year and they might hire 4 to replace them.

You might find it easy to beat up on Chief Johnson but he is trying to run a police department in the midst of chaos! Shame on Ellen Moyer. Perhaps she owes all officers an apology.

The thing that AP finds most interesting is increasing evidence of a disconnect between the mayor and Chief Johnson. I used to think that they were on the same page, and reinforced each other regarding most things. But after hearing the quotes in the newspaper, and reading the above comments, it's becoming harder to tell.

I am aware of scores of evidence regarding former friends of the Mayor that she alienated. For real progress, there has to be cooperation. And before progress, there has to be honesty! If the mayor is lying to us, shame on her indeed.

Bickering: An Update on The New Crime Plan

Whoa Nellie!

While sometimes I feel like bemoaning the fact that much of my news comes from The Capital, the fact of the matter is that this blog is more of an opinion journal than a news journal, and I am perfectly happy to leave the reporting to the professionals--err, at least the local paper of record.

Enter Sunday's edition, where we learn that the Mayor's lack of direction in implementing her new crime fighting plans has frustrated the very people responsible for its implementation.

This portrayal of how the crime plans came to be fits perfectly with AP's imagination of how city business works. I envisioned the mayor returning from Europe to chaos, and quickly throwing together a cosmetic solution lacking seriousness--a la Sargent Bilko--just to quiet the critics.

Plans do not implement themselves. The last time the Mayor tried to implement a big plan like this, it was for the Market House. When the plan fell through (because nobody worried about the details), the Mayor first denied there were any problems, then conspired to present the grim facts through a rose colored spectrum. The key to implementing a plan is following through on what you say you are going to do. Speaking from experience, is it also good to have backup plans in case your ideal plan does not work.

As for the current crime plan, it seems the mayor's plan was again short on details. So reports The Capital:

Annapolis Housing Authority President Eric Brown wrote Ms. Moyer a letter on Wednesday asking for "additional direction" on what she wants in a new agreement of understanding to address crime in the city's public housing communities.

You would think that the Mayor would take the time to get on the same page with the Housing Authority, since a lot of the emphasis of the new plan is on crime, specifically drug crime, in the public housing areas. The police chief, a reasonably important participant in any crime-fighting effort, had this to say:

We need to sit down.....How do we put this in the budget, secure these things, train these people ... It's not something we can run out and do in the next month. What timeline is she expecting?

Public Service Announcement to Chief Johnson, HACA President Brown, and other department heads: it's not good to publicly criticize the mayor!

Ms. Moyer responded to Mr. Brown by explaining:

I guess he doesn't know how to read.

She also stipulated that:

He (Chief Johnson) needs to advise me on the budgetary issues.

If he has not advised you already, consider yourself advised. He just said he doesn't know how to pay for the horse and the Segway. Also consider yourself redundant:

Local and federal officials confirmed this week the city joined the DEA's State and Local High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force at least 10 years ago.

Now, I will agree that a Mayor does not necessarily have to know every procedural working of the police department. But if the department enters into an important drug-fighting partnership with the federal government, and furthermore if the mayor was on the city council at the time of the agreement, I would think the mayor should know about it. I know of some officers that read this blog--am I right here? Why would the mayor not know something like this?

The mayor later amended her position, stating that she meant for a renewal of emphasis on the task force, rather than a new agreement. Even so, a DEA spokesman said that the task force won't change much:

Special Agent Ed Marcinko, a DEA spokesman, reiterated the task force is not changing how it investigates drugs and identifies drug dealers.

"It's business as usual," he said.

This is government nonsense at its best. The mayor observed a problem, but she seemingly prefers to address the political problem for her rather than the crime problem that most people are interested in talking about. By throwing around buzz words, and buzz ideas, such as 'new committee', 'task force', '5 step plan', etc.--and not backing them up with any teeth--we are no better off.

AP has sent an email to Ray Weaver requesting the results of the recently administered qualification/entrance exam for new officers. Everyone (even now the mayor) is in agreement that the place to start is to fill the 23 vacancies in the department, and when I find out where we are on this, I will let you know.

Bickering

Yesterday The Capital reported that the mayor's crime proposals turned to bickering, which is what happens when anyone raises any concerns about any of the mayor's ideas. (Check back later tonight, or possibly tomorrow, for a comprehensive post on this.) Capital Punishment brings up a good point about this:

Is Police Chief Joseph Johnson about to get the pink slip? CP has repeatedly called for Mayor Moyer to help Police Chief Joseph Johnson toward his retirement since CP started writing this blog but now there are signs that it may be about to happen. While yesterday's front-page article in The Capital about confusion over crime fighting (see post below) was being discussed all over the city, CP was listening to two local officials/politicos in the know who were questioning whether comments made by the Chief were going to blow the Mayor's top. The words "fire" and "resign" and "John Patmore" (the ousted former Department of Public Works chief who openly questioned the Mayor) kept coming up.

You will recall that John Patmore, the former director of Public Works, was terminated only days after expressing concern that the city was going to lease its space to 2,000 triathletes for a fee of $1. The mayor claimed the termination was going to happen anyway, but as this blog pointed out, Mr. Patmore was the only director to go and there others who were perhaps more deserving.

Not only has the police chief challenged the mayor, he has done it on the most visible issue in the city, and unless the mayor is satisfied with relegation to lame duck status, the issue that will cause her the most political harm.

Is Chief Johnson next in line? Who knows.

Mayor Moyer: Letter to the Editor

The mayor had a letter published in The Capital today:

Why did the city take so long to fill the potholes on Moreland Parkway?

Is this some sort of trick question?

The city is currently in court with the developers who own the road. Fixing the pothole required a letter from their attorney acknowledging that taking action on the road "would not prejudice the case".

The city attorney pursued this course of action and a letter was received late in the afternoon on Friday, Aug. 31. Then, and only then, could city workers fill the now-infamous pothole. the pothole was filled immediately after we received the letter.

In the past, before the current legal proceedings, we have fixed potholes on Moreland Parkway as soon as we become aware of them.

It is my understanding that The Capital was in possession of all of this information, yet chose not to include it in its coverage.
ELLEN MOYER, Mayor, Annapolis

I actually think that this letter was generally good and appropriate. I think that public officials should use the media to clarify information, and that's it. This letter, rather usefully as long as the information is accurate, provides more information than we previously knew. We got a better understanding of the legal concerns, and are able to see that it was not the heroic actions of Alderwoman Hoyle that got the job done.

I even think the bit about The Capital is ok, as it is not taken too far. The Mayor takes her trademark defensive posture, but that is her personality.

The bigger question is: why can't these people figure out who owns the road? There are two options:

1. city
2. developers

It's not Non-Euclidian Geometry, for goodness sake.

When the area was developed, nobody bothered to worry about who would fix the roads? Parking lots should be privately maintained, streets maintained by the city, or county.

On a side note, can we get some tort reform? Heck, even the city government can't act for fear of a lawsuit! What does that say for the rest of us?!! Our litigious society causes us to waste so many resources that we would otherwise be using to produce goods and services. And if we don't produce goods and services, how will we fund the war in Iraq?! (Just thought I'd throw that in there for fun.)

Could Foot Patrols Have Prevented Murder?

A main argument for filling the vacancies in the police department goes like this:

-More officers = more foot patrols in neighborhoods.
-More neighborhood policing = officers knowing who lives in said communities.
-Knowing the residents of a neighborhood = better identification of unwanted outsiders.

As reported, both the shooter and victim in Annapolis' most recent homicide lived outside of the community where it took place:

It was the third shooting there since July - and all of them involved people from outside the neighborhood.

So, what do the residents think?

"In all these shootings we've been having, the people don't live here. We're sick of it," said Carol Dessasau, president of the tenant council.

She said the complex has a 10 p.m. curfew and private security officers. She wouldn't mind requiring ID cards and car stickers to identify legitimate residents. Checking identification after hours could screen outsiders and prevent unwanted visitors, she said.

She'd also like more police patrols and to start up a neighborhood watch.

And what does the mayor think?

The Annapolis Police Department currently maintains a ratio of 3 officers per 1000 residents. The national average is 1 officer per 1000 residents.

As someone once said: "We report, you decide."

Oh, My

The mayor has taken a liking to press releases, which I must admit are a useful form of information. But using the media for political battling is just inappropriate.

Ray Weaver, the Annapolis Public Information Officer, sent a letter to The Capital that was published on Friday. My experiences (2 emails) with Mr. Weaver have been fairly reasonable, which reinforces my belief that this letter can be reasonably interpreted as the mayor's wishes. You would have to work really hard to persuade me that a senior administration official could write a letter like this on his/her own, without the consent of the mayor.

So let's see what Mr. Weaver has to say:

Regarding a Sources Say item about me:

Had you included the entire text of my e-mail, it would have been clear that the city will always respond to salary requests under the guidelines of the Public Information Act.

You left out: "the specific salaries of city employees are indeed fair game under the Freedom of Information Act...please direct your request to the director of human resources and the guidelines of the...statutes."

I am fine with this so far. If they misquoted you, especially if the quotes resulted in a mis-representation, you can and should correct them.

I do not keep the specific salary of every city employee in my files. These are not elected officials. They filled out a job application, sent in a resume and went to work, just like most other Americans.

A brief aside: I am one of the few Americans who did not do this. I have had the good blessing of being gainfully self-employed since college, and I have never had to send a resume or interview for a job. Except when I was 16 years old--I applied for my first job as a busboy, and the Food and Beverage Manager was a no-nonsense type of gal, so maybe that counts.

With identity theft running rampant and personal privacy rights being co-opted every day, city employees are entitled to the same protection as other citizens. It is a short step from someone's salary being in the newspaper to an email box full of span offering them a bunch of ways to spend their money.

Identity theft? We are just talking about name and salary right? You are correct that city employees have the same right to protection, but they have a slightly less right to privacy because they are public sector employees--i.e., they work for us.

I was a reporter for many years, and would be interested in a story about what management at The Capital makes, as compared to the rank-and-file reporters.

Here is where your letter starts to go array. While such a story may be interesting, it is not anybody's right to know because The Capital is a private company. That is to say, they are a non-public company. (Yes, I just said the same thing twice. It is my understanding that repetition increases comprehension and retention.) The Capital management can make as much as they want. If the employees don't like it, they can quit. If enough of them quit, then the management will have to pay themselves less so they can hire more people. And so private enterprise goes.

As I clearly said in my email, "I respect the law, and will certainly insist that the city follow the Freedom of Information laws to the letter."

Ok.

You left that out, too.

Ok!

I have been baffled of late by The Capital's turn toward voyeuristic photos of devastated teenagers on the front page and sensational headlines that have little to do with the stories they trumpet.

I have been baffled as to why you would say this.

Then it hit me; the Weekly World News is no longer being published. I can't wait for your story on Elvis fathering Anna Nicole's baby from the grave.
RAY WEAVER, City Public Information Officer, Annapolis

Those last 2 sentences are more out of place than Jim Carey in a serious movie. This is a public official. FOR GOODNESS SAKE! Mr. Weaver serves the public--he comes from the people to represent the people. This quibbling with The Capital has no place.

When it comes to using the media, public officials should be setting the record straight, AND THAT'S IT.

Update: Police Hiring

Today The Capital ran a story that gave a rather current, rather complete summary of the mayor's new initiatives to combat crime here in the city.

The mayor's quotes seem to focus on drug criminals and public housing, and AP finds no problem with using these as starting points.

Perhaps more usefully, we get an update on police recruitment. You will recall that the city failed to offer the entrance qualification exam for a year. Now they have, and here's what happened:

-181 applicants were invited to take the exam
-56 of the invitees showed up to take the exam
-approx 30 will pass the exam, according to Chief Johnson's estimation
-7 will make it through training to become officers (another estimation)

I am excited to see if this comes true!

Also, still no mention from the mayor about filling any specific number of vacancies.

Moyer Administration Quotes

In addition to being a voice of opinion, this blog serves as a permanent historical records of some of the goings on of the city.

Pursuant to such efforts, I have started archiving some quotes from the mayor and her administration. To see them click here, and there is now a permanent link to these quotes on the right side of this page.

Only a few now, but more to come!

Another Crime Proclamation From the Mayor

In yet another press release concerning the mayor's strategy towards crime, we learn that the mayor is instructing the police department to step up recruitment efforts:

Mayor Ellen Moyer is asking Annapolis Police Chief Joseph Johnson to expand his Department's recruiting efforts. She is requesting that he augment current department-based recruiting efforts with a committee that will act as ambassadors and positive advocates for the police department.

The committee shall consist of:

-Kimla Milburn: Human Resources Director
-Ray Weaver: Public Information Officer
-Dave Cordle, Alderman Ward 5, Public Safety Committee
-Ross Arnett, Alderman Ward 8, Public Safety Committee
-Sheila Finlayson, Alderman Ward 4, Public Safety Committee
-A Partridge In a Pear Tree

The mayor took some time to hit on her two favorite police quotes:

"In speaking with my colleagues from around the country, it is evident that we are all facing a tremendous challenge in recruiting police officers," she (Ms. Milburn) said.

and

The Annapolis Police Department currently maintains a ratio of 3 officers per 1000 residents. The national average is 1 officer per 1000 residents.

Now I will take time for my two favorite standard responses:

We are not facing a recruiting shortage.

and

The ratio does not matter because we have a lot of public housing, we are a maritime city, and we are a Capital city.

The mayor thinks that word-of-mouth 'advertising' is the best way to recruit, and she admonished the media and letter-to-the-editor writers for saying negative things about the department.

Umm, madam mayor, remember when you said this:

The first thing I get hit with when I get back in town after meeting with our sister cities is "We've got a crime problem. We've got a crime problem. We've got a crime problem."

It is only because we wrote letters to the editor that you even knew we had a problem....you were too busy on sister city business.

More importantly, does this press release mean the mayor is committed to filling the 23 vacancies on the police department? Tough to tell. If so, this will be the first time she has pledged to do so. But somehow, I doubt it.

The Capital Reports on Mayor's Public Housing Plan

Today The Capital reported on the mayor's HACA crime fighting plan--the same one that AP commented on recently. If you want to read their version, click here. If you want to read my version, click here.

(When I refer to The Capital article in this post, I am referring both to the front page article by Nichole Young and the 'B' section article by Eric Hartley. I have a lot to write about today, and I don't have time to do separate posts. So lay off.....just kidding.)

I actually think The Capital dropped the ball on this one ( which wouldn't be the first time). They alluded to the $200,00 the city gives HACA to fight crime; but, they failed to mention that the mayor wants to take this away AND make HACA share additional costs such as cameras and sub-stations.

On the other hand, I think The Capital did a good job of portraying how un-cooperative and aloof the mayor seems to be. The mayor apparently was a victim of shock and awe:

The first thing I get hit with when I get back in town after meeting with our sister cities is "We've got a crime problem. We've got a crime problem. We've got a crime problem," the mayor said.

You didn't know about this before? Seriously? BE SERIOUS. Did you know about this before? WERE YOU SHOCKED AND PISSED OFF THAT YOUR IMPORTANT SISTER CITY BUSINESS WAS INTERRUPTED BY THE TRIVIAL, MUNDANE ISSUE OF.........FELONY VIOLENT CRIME??!! WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST 20 YEARS?!!!!

Ms. Moyer called that charge unfair and said she's been working with residents on crime issues for 20 years, going back to her 14 years as an alderman from Eastport.

Bullshit. The charge is fair.

And let me sum up HACA's reaction to this whole thing:

Capital Reporter: What do you think about this whole thing?
HACA guy: Uhh, this is what we have been saying for, like, many months now.
Capital Reporter: But what do you think about the mayor's ideas?
HACA guy: It's all the same crap.
Capital Reporter: And what if you had a pen pal in a sister city?
HACA guy: Neat-O!!

And now for my favorite part of the article(s), a quote from police chief Johnson:

We already co-op secondary employment to them, but we need more manpower.

What, I ask you, WHAT does this mean? This is horrible. Grammar. That should. Be a better sentence. With logic.

Ever onward!

Selected Quotes From Mayor's New Drug Fighting Plan

As I briefly announced 2 posts ago, Mayor Moyer wants to establish illegal drugs and illegal guns task forces that work with federal and state agencies. So says she:

In 2006, the Annapolis Police Department made 275 arrests on drugs and conducted 45 raids. Our goal, with the unified effort I am requesting, is to double the number of arrests and to make it crystal clear that the Capital City is not a Drug Capital.

Great. So, you're going to hire the additional 23 officers to do this?

Surveillance for some nuisance crimes may have to be reduced, but available personnel must be utilized to deal directly with serious crime.

No, no. Silly me. You are not going to fill the vacancies in the police department to achieve this goal--you are willingly and knowingly going to sacrifice the quality of other crime prevention so you can better prevent these crimes!!!!!

I'm all for prioritizing, but why not do both? Why not hire the 23 officers that are lacking in the police department, continue addressing nuisance crime, AND work harder to deal with serious crime?

And, Mayor Moyer, what do you expect of these new policies?

Over the past few days I have made some specific recommendations and requests. I am hopeful that the agencies involved will join me in assuring that Annapolis remains one of the finest Cities in the world to live in and visit.

Let's re-visit these specific recommendations:
-get a horse
-buy Segways (instead of bicycles)
-have better lighting
-end policing grant to HACA to centralize duties and increase accountability
-make entire city a drug free zone (a formality, largely)
-reduce number of police shifts from 5 to 3
-create drug and gun task forces with other agencies

What I like about this:
-acknowledgement that public housing is probably the biggest crime issue
-possibility of cooperation with other jurisdictions
-city takes its own responsibility for policing all areas

What I don't like about this:
-no commitment to fill 23 vacancies in police department
-no plan for community policing/foot patrols
-increased overtime for police officers, paid by taxpayers
-why Segways?
-why a horse?
-mayor blames everyone but herself ("Accountability from HACA has been questionable", etc.)
-no mention of a change in police department leadership
-inability to collaborate with HACA
-no structural plan to provide incentive to public housing residents to improve themselves/take a stake in the community

I suppose it's a start--at least the mayor is paying attention to the problem. But how committed is she, really? Does the have the will to see this through? Does she expect with honesty that her changes will help the problem?

Time will give us the answers. And if not, the candidates running for mayor will be sure to jump on the opportunity.

Drug Task Force

The mayor has just directed the city police department to work with federal agencies to conduct more drug raids. It seems that she is still looking for ways to fight crime without hiring any additional officers, or making a committment to community policing and/or foot patrols.

More to come soon.....

The Mayor Proposes Changes to HACA Crime Fighting

In perfect coordination with the topics discussed on this blog, the Mayor today unveiled a proposal to change how the city fights crime in public housing (HACA) areas. Although AP is convinced that the mayor did not act as a result of this blog's objections, maybe I will make a post demanding a $1,000,000 discretionary grant from the city, and let the leaves fall where they may!

The issue is that HACA is a somewhat independent agency. The commissioners are appointed by the mayor, but have to operate under federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) guidelines concerning public housing. Apparently the city gives HACA $200,000 per year, which is to be matched equally by HACA (probably through money collected for rent), to total a $400,000 public safety program.

The mayor wants to city to be able to control this program, and is requesting that the $200,000 grant be terminated, and the city spend its own $200,000 protecting crime. A problem, at least as I see it, is that the city does not have the track record to prove that they can do any better of a job at preventing crime. They should be able to, in theory, because they can raise their own police force.

The grant would have to be terminated within the context of the FY 2009 budget.

The mayor also proposes 4 procedural changes:

1. The Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis and the Annapolis Police Department share to outfit each HACA neighborhood with surveillance cameras.
2. HACA and APD share costs for a sub-station program.

3. APD, if HACA agrees, assign undercover police to the area and enhance neighborhood watch training.

4. HACA to implement the community service program for all residents as required by HUD.

My feeling, and I imagine the feeling of HACA as well, is that if the city takes away their grant, then requires HACA to share costs for cameras and a sub-station, then the city had better do a hell of a job policing these areas.

To do this, almost everyone involved advocates filling the 23 vacancies in the department as a start. And when I say almost everyone, I mean all males and females age 1-100, except the mayor and the police chief.

The mayors next request:

Additionally, I am requesting the City's Community and Housing Board to review successful housing programs in other jurisdictions, research opportunities for home ownership and social service needs, and to recommend changes in our federal housing program required to enhance public safety.

I would be appalled if HACA is not doing this already---I am sure that they have studied other jurisdictions and are trying to figure out how to get people to own their homes. And to do the above:

Money will be allocated for a staff consultant to assist in the task.

I have participated in the budget process for the last 2 years, and I cannot tell you where this money comes from. When the budget is made, all requests for money have to go through committee, and be voted on by the city council. The mayor has some discretionary money, but not enough to hire someone else. If the money comes from the "contract services" portion of the budget, it means that the budget process was secretive enough include enough unspent money to hire this person. Not good, not good.

I believe that the city has more 'teeth' when it comes to enforcing laws and preventing crime than HACA does, which leads me to believe that the mayor's proposal COULD BE a good idea. But we have still not seen a commitment to fill the police vacancies--we still do not know how the mayor's plan will improve the situation. We do not need more consultants, or studies. People already know the solutions, or at least better solutions. The mayor needs to listen to these people, many of whom will help for free (that is, without being paid taxpayer money), and commit to implementing their solutions.

Analysis of Actual Crime Data

A reader sent me a detailed study of all crime committed in 2006, broken down by type, location, and perpetrator. Here are the main findings, and my semi-excellent analysis is to follow. (Only semi-excellent today--my brain works better with sunshine, which we haven't seen in a while. The backup plan for occasions like this is to drink a lot of coffee, but my caffeine level is already approaching the maximum safe level as recommended by the Surgeon General.)

2006 Crime Statistics
(Note: According to published statistics, about 6% of city residents live in HACA communities)
(HACA stands for the Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis)

-7.4% of all crimes occurred on HACA properties
-5% of all arrests were of HACA residents
-16% of all crimes occurred on OR NEAR HACA properties
-29.5% of all violent crimes occur on HACA properties
-26% of all drug arrests occur on HACA properties

The point that this blog has made is that ratios of officers per thousand employees are not helpful because Annapolis has more public housing than any other city its size, and crimes occur more frequently in these areas. We now have the data to show that this theory was largely, ultimately correct.

The first thing we need to consider is that this data UNDERESTIMATES the true link between public housing and crime. Why?

Reason #1: Nobody really knows how many people actually live in public housing. HACA has lease records, but an unknown number of people live in these dwellings and are NOT on the leases.

Reason #2: There is subsidized housing in Annapolis that is not subsidized by HACA, but rather by the federal government. So, crimes committed by individuals in these communities are attributed to the 'rest of the city', not the public housing areas, because the study that I have data for only considers HACA properties (and not the federal public housing properties.)

So, what this data shows is even more true when you try and understand the situation as it accurately exists.

We can see that drug crimes and violent crimes occur at a disproportionately high rate in public housing communities. (Drug crimes and violent crimes are undoubtedly correlated with each other, but we would need more detailed statistical analysis to determine by exactly how much). Furthermore, many of these crimes are being committed by people who shouldn't be there.

So, what do we do about this? HACA, like this blog, has advocated more police, and particularly police walking beats (this means on foot) in the public housing communities. This would allow officers to cover more remote areas than vehicle patrols, and would be a better deterrent to drug dealers/users. It would also allow officers to develop personal relationships with the residents, which would make it easier for officers to identify non-residents and people who don't belong there.

Sounds simple enough...so why aren't the police doing this? Answer: because they have general orders that they are to remain "reactionary", and not proactive*. Let me repeat this. Officers have general rules of conduct, coming straight from the top, ordering them to remain in their vehicles even when responding to a call. They are prohibited from preventing crime.

(*I have heard this from 2 reliable sources. Although I have not utilized a Public Information Act request to look at the general orders, I know people who have.)

Please reread that again...the police are prohibited from doing their job. Who can change this culture? The police chief, and the mayor.

Let's assume that eventually the city has a mayor and a police chief who are committed to addressing this problem in the right way. Done. Good. Now the question becomes, what is the strategy for structurally preventing crimes--that is, changing the culture so that people want to commit fewer crimes.

The answer, I would argue, is ownership. If people own their houses, they become stakeholders in their communities. They would be less likely to encourage or tolerate criminal or destructive behavior. Is this happening now? Sort of. All HACA subsidized housing is rental-only. HACA is trying to promote ownership in and around their communities, but there is too weak of an incentive for families to move out of public housing. If a family moves in to public housing, there is no requirement that they leave, even if they eventually earn enough money to buy their own house. HACA gives preference to working families and tries to promote self-sufficiency, but there is only so much they can do.

There is only so much anyone can do with a mayor and chief who don't want to help.

New Ideas Abound From The Mayor's Trip

In what seems to AP to be an attempt to justify the mayor's 6-week absence while touring Europe, The Capital today provides testimony that the mayor has some new ideas as a result of her sister city voyage:

Ms. Moyer said she's now armed with a "whole notebook of ideas" - and she's ready to go through it and find out which are viable options for the city.

Is that so? Well, the city could use some fresh ideas. I had a fresh idea once, but was distracted by my friend who claimed to be using his computer to access some type of 'internet' (that's what we called it back then), and since that time my creativity has taken a turn for the worse. So continue, Mayor Moyer, whadda' ya' got?

Near the top her list is lifting some transportation ideas from Paris, including more underground parking and increased public transportation on the water.

Umm, geez, you didn't think of this before? Also, I bet that the underground parking city was not the same as the public transportation on water city. Because when you have water, you usually can't build underground. If we had a public works director, we could ask him what the city rules are regarding underground building near waterfront.

So, most notebooks have, like, 200 pages or something. What else do you have?

She described bicycles lined up in the main tourist areas; with the swipe of a credit card, a bike could be unlocked for use.

So, instead of car rental, bike rental. Many towns have this already (although they may be run by private enterprise). I have a hunch: that this idea has been discussed before while Ellen Moyer was mayor. This guy might be able to verify that.

Adelante!:

A public "boat bus" stops at eight locations around the city.

A boat bus? You mean a water taxi? Right. We already have that. Way to waste space in your notebook.

These are not new ideas, and I'm guessing they are especially not new for transportation experts like hopefully we have working for the city. So what's the point of all this, from the mayor's point of view?:

Ms. Moyer said she's also interested in planning special programs to raise money for the sister cities program, to "treat them as well as they treat us."

B-da-bing!! Nailed it!! Right on targ.......

Subsidized housing just doesn't look like it there.

Oh no!

The cottages all have flowers in the yard and are well-kept and fairly attractive.

Too much propaganda....this post is out of control.

"No Taj Mahal (parking) garages there.

What?

Ok, enough with the quotes. The main issues touched here were public transportation and public housing. As far as transportation, we need to look at a solution that gets people out of their cars and off the roads. Building more parking garages and widening roads only encourages driving.

And with the public housing, ownership is the key. Using a highly anecdotal (and highly current) piece of evidence, just look at the kind fellow who was featured in the paper yesterday.

(If you want more scientific evidence, as I do, I must offer an apology. I am one of the worst "search term" people ever. I never know the right keywords to put into Google. Other people find things right away, and it takes me forever. So if you know where to look, or already have this data, let me know.)

This has been the city Republican Central Committee's objection to the direction of the MPDU program. People who qualify for public housing should be on the path to ownership, not renting from a non-profit or anyone else. (Note: the MPDU program is very different from public housing.)

To be fair, it doesn't matter where the mayor gets her ideas. So long as they are developed, and proper solutions implemented, I would be fine with that.

Where is Crime in Annapolis Happening?

Encouraged by an emailer today, I did some research on where most of the crimes around here are happening. I did this by using the daily email report from the police department, which you can get by clicking here. I recorded the crime if it was a felony--I tried to exclude 'citations' such as driving violations--and the location.

(Disclaimer: I am not a criminologist. I may have mis-categorized which crimes are felonies and which are not. But my point will be the same. I am also not a statistician, but this math is simple enough that I can guarantee accuracy.)

(Personal reflection: I just realized that I am not many things. In fact, the only claims to fame I have are being able to make good crab cakes and being a moderately handsome blogger.)

I have come to a conclusion, and I don't care if it is not politically correct, because it is right:

If we want to get rid of the crime, we should get rid of public housing.

Of the crimes that I looked at, 66% of them occurred in or very near public housing developments. So, 66% of the crimes are committed by about 10%* of the population.

(*I have heard numbers saying that the public housing popluation in the city is actually 1 in 6 (16.7%). But, HACA's web site claims to have 2,2oo residents, plus a couple hundred more as a result of section 8 vouchers, which I do not understand because I have not researched. The city of Annapolis population is about 37,000.)

The mayor has frequently cited the ratio of officers per thousand citizens as a measure of how well the police department is staffed. But, if the majority of crimes happen in public housing areas--which they do (I will work on a citation), and Annapolis has more public housing per capita than anywhere else in the country--which it does (ibid), than that freggin' ratio is useless.

I hope that somebody can actually prove me wrong, because to do this would require a level of statistics that we can use to really analyze the problem, and figure out a solution. Apparently, though, we will have to do this without the help of the mayor.

Crime Plan From the Mayor

Yesterday AP asked how exactly we plan to combat crime. So, when I received a press release from the mayor's office entitled "Mayor Ellen Moyer proposes a five point plan to address concerns being raised about public safety in the City of Annapolis", I was jubilant. After all, I was confident that the mayor could not oppose the political winds that are demanding the fulfillment of the vacant police positions.

But then I read on.

Here is a summary of the mayor's 5 point plan:

1. REDUCE the number of shifts at the police department from five to three. Idea being: more officers per shift = higher visibility.

2. Buy 4 Segways.

3. Get a horse. (I can't make this stuff up, this is what it says.)

4. Make entire city a drug free zone, get money from other jurisdictions to implement major drug treatment and prevention program.

5. Turn lights on at night.

This is amazing. I barely know where to begin. First of all, the mayor refuses to commit to filling the vacancies on the police department!!!!! She declares:

Our principal obligation is to find new ways to use the people that we have now to enhance public safety.

By reducing the number of shifts, she is actually trying to create the APPEARANCE of having more officers WITHOUT ACTUALLY GETTING MORE OFFICERS!!!!! If we still have the same number of officers, and they still work the same amount of hours per week, then this idea does absolutely nothing. Or, we can pay ridiculous overtime, and have all these officers work until they can't stand up. Unbelievable. In item #1 of the plan, the mayor spends the first sentence detailing what she wants to do, and the next 5 sentences defending what her policy has been so far. She says:

While much has been made recently of the numbers of police officers that are currently employed by the City, the fact is that the APD maintains a ratio of 3 police officers to every 1000 citizens-the national average is only 1 officer per thousand.

We have already been over this. These ratios are useless, especially for Annapolis because it is (1) a maritime city and (2) a capital city.

The mayor goes on to say that the war in Iraq and retirement have caused a nationwide talent shortage of interested police officers:

The war in Iraq and retirement have both greatly impacted the number of qualified people that are available for and interested in police work. Jurisdictions nationwide are drawing from the same talent pool and facing the same challenges.

We have been over this too! There are hundreds of people who want to be police officers in the city of Annapolis, but the city won't offer the entrance exam (until now)!

Now, for the famous "this is not my fault, I am doing everything right" quote from the mayor:

We offer a very competitive package of pay and benefits to our officers and are always looking for talented people. We will aggressively continue that search without lowering our standards.

Yesterday, I said "The prevailing political climate--which usually lags behind the will of the people (unless ignoring it completely)--is that the department needs to fill the 20+ vacancies. There is probably no amount of reluctance from the police chief, or anyone else, to stop this from happening." I was dead wrong, as long as the mayor has something to say about it.

As for the Segways, fine. If the police need the Segways, get them the resources they need. But what's wrong with bicycles?

As for the horse mounted unit, the mayor states that one horse-mounted unit is equivalent to 10 officers on foot. What? Really? I guess so. But by most accounts these units are best utilized in crowd control. And will only one horse mounted unit really make a difference? Will it be in the exact spot to deter a drug deal or stop an assault?

I don't know what the obsession is with a drug free zone; it seems to me like more of a formality than anything else. Shouldn't we be combatting drugs at all times? I think a treatment plan is a good resource, but we need to go after the dealers too. What, besides getting money from the state and county, are we going to do about this?

And for goodness sake, we will turn our lights on if it will make you happy.

Email: Crime

Due to the surging popularity of this blog, we are now the 125th most popular political blog in Ward 5! And as such, AP must remain closed to comments to ensure the continued quality of the content.

But, if you email a comment, we will probably post it! This comment came from a friend of mine--I am withholding his (or her??!) name at this time because I have not asked permission to use the email on this site.

(If this person approves, I will list his name. If he disapproves, well, I will probably plagiarize his ideas as my own!)

Here it is:

In Friday’s blog on Crime you mention a few key things the Mayor should be reading, doing, and implementing regarding crime in the City. I agree with you 110%, especially when we are now at our 5th homicide within the City for the year. At this rate, we are on our way to surpassing 10 for the year. I find only one problem with your suggestions; the Mayor is off for 2 months visiting “sister cities” across Europe. Perhaps she feels safer in these “sister cities” than she does in the Annapolis she is supposed to be managing.

Indeed.