After 31 years on the force and 5 years at the top, Baltimore Police Commissioner Fred Bealefeld announced his resignation. I wish him well. Certainly Bealefeld was the best police commissioner Baltimore has seen in the past 18 years (I can’t talk about the pre-Frazier era). Five years on top may not sound like a…
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Circa 1900. Courtesy of Shorpy.
That’s not true. But this kind of thing does seem to happen all too often in Mob City. Justin Fenton writes in the Sun: At first, the video of a man being beaten and stripped in downtown Baltimore appeared to be just another tantalizing shock clip for the Internet. But in recent days, thanks to…
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Baltimore City tries to increase jury attendance. Currently only 27 percent of those summonsed actually show up. In one more rural counties in Maryland, the show-up rate 99%. Because, you know, it’s a duty and you’re not supposed to have a choice. From the Sun: Technically, the law allows for a fine of up to…
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There’s a great picture of Baltimore’ harbor from 1903 over at Shorpy.
Retired Baltimore Police Officer and amateur historian William Hackley passed away. Were it not for Officer Hackley, so much of the history of the BPD would be lost to time. I never met him, though I think I contributed a few pictures to his website. Give it a look (and get ready for some old-school…
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There were many periods of silence in the police academy. The environment didn’t exactly encourage free and independent thinking. During these awkward moments, Agent Cassidy, when he was in the room, was fond of bellowing out, often apropos of nothing, “Moskos, your thoughts!” Thirteen years later, these might be most (only?) remembered words from the…
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Off-duty officer accused of some pretty bad stuff. From the Sun: Law enforcement sources say the .22-caliber rifle believed to have been used in the shooting was found inside his personal vehicle. Two boys, ages 12 and 13, have been charged with involuntary manslaughter; the officer has not been charged with any crime. So much…
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An article by Peter Hermann in the Sun on an important but little talked about subject, the effect on police of police-involved shootings: Union leaders say city police do a good job of providing counseling to officers in the immediate aftermath of a shooting, but fall short in recognizing long-term psychological effects. Psychiatrists and police…
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The original suspect from New Years, who escaped when another guy sucker-punched the arresting officer, was caught.