Friday, September 26, 2008

Friday

A man was found fatally shot in the head in Northwest Baltimore this Morning.

Police are seeking a Pennsylvania man - connected with killing a Pennsylvania woman - whose getaway car has been found in the City. This leads me to think that everyone knows this is a criminal haven.

Rule one of criminal buffoonery: Reach for an officer's pistol, while out on bail and at a drug stop.

The Funeral of former Councilman Kenneth Harris was covered by The Examiner, and The Sun.

As this happens, the Baltimore Crime Beat - not to be confused with our Baltimore Crime Blog here - discusses Northwood Plaza, where Harris was shot, as well as dialogue on what to do with it.

He said, they said: A witness is alleging that a Baltimore Officer and Baltimore County Sheriff's deputy beat on a man who they claimed got away. No word yet on whether he actually just "fell down some stairs".

2 comments:

Maurice Bradbury said...

Justin Fenton makes a good point in the "Beat"-- should taxpayers have to pay for constant security for an after-hours "Jazz Club," a money-making enterprise, when it's the only business open within miles of itself, and no lack of other businesses elsewhere in the district that also need services?

In the old days, did anyone ever expect the sheriff to sit on the porch of the bawdy house?
Hellz no-- he had cattle rustlers and ranch prowlers to watch out for. That's why Belle kept a shotgun behind the bar and some bruisers by the door.

buzoncrime said...

The government, in the form of the police department in this case, decides how, when and how much resources to deploy to a particular area.

If businesses need or desire protection over and above what they can request or get because of their influence (or lack of influence), they must provide it themselves.

That having been said, it is very difficult to secure and drive out the thugs and drug dealers by a private security operation--once they have become entrenched and part of the scenery. Unless you are willing to pay big bucks for high-level armed security, or the big thing now, off-duty police officers.

On the other hand, there is case law in the civil arena: business and landlords are responsible for making reasonable provisions for adequate security of their tenants and customers. What is reasonable? Usually the insurance company just pays some money to make the plaintiff go away, if they agree. But often a judge or jury has to make the determination.