What is it going to take?!

to get a standing independent review board in this town?!
In case you haven't heard, the report is out on the criminally negligent "tragic perfect storm" that lead to the shooting deaths of Officer William H. Torbit Jr. and Select Lounge reveler Sean Gamble, and the stupidity within is mind-boggling. Highlights include:

- Torbit left his police identification in his trunk, went into the crowd alone, tried to get some drunk girls to quit hitting a car with their shoes and told Sean Gamble to "mind your own fucking business" when he tried to intervene, escalating the situation.

- many officers didn't let dispatchers know they were on the scene, so the chain of command couldn't be established. As the melee was going on, an officer radioed "That's an officer, he is one of us, stop shooting" and was ignored.

- officers shot into a crowd of people, exhibiting "poor marksmanship and undisciplined shooting."

- investigators didn't log photos of the crime scene.

- officers involved in the incident refused to testify, including Deputy Maj. Marc Partee, the commander on duty that night. If a civilian witness refuses to show up to testify, they get thrown in jail, but when it's an officer shooting someone, apparently they are within their rights to not even make an appearance.

- As we already knew, the police has for years gone against its own policies and failed to conduct "after-action" training reviews of police-involved shootings to prevent future incidents.

and, finally, two years ago Bealefeld justified not releasing the names of officers to the public because their own internal investigations are so thorough. "But the report found that in practice, the internal affairs unit defers to homicide detectives and waits until the criminal case is resolved — which can take months and in some cases more than a year, 'delay[ing] the Department's ability to determine what policies were violated or how it might improve its practices.'"

So what is it going to take to get an independent review board in this town?
So far this year we've had $1.2 million worth of extra tax dollars going to compensate victims of police malfeasance, how many citizens shot by police? 1, 2, 3.. a bunch. Also an officer dealing heroin out of the NW District Police Station, the towing scandal, 30 percent of rape cases being deemed "unfounded" ... what is it going to take?

Without demonstrable integrity, the police department loses its legitimacy. With no legitimate police force, people take the law into their own hands and refuse to cooperate, making community-based policing impossible. Citizens take the law into their own hands. If the mayor, Bealefeld and Robert Cherry are genuinely committed to a fair and responsive police force that holds protecting citizens as its top priority, they would welcome a standing independent review board, one with subpoena power and the ability to make recommendations. Seventeen out of 50 largest cities have this, including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Miami, San Diego and Pittsburgh. The fact that the mayor, chief of police and head of the police union support the BPD conducting its affairs in secrecy and answerable to no one is a spitwad on the cheek of every tax-paying citizen in this sorry burg.

Sleazy, sad and evil

Police have released video of the suspects wanted in the murder of Freddie Jones Jr. near the Yau Brothers on Monday. Lowell Melser reports that the robbery netted $13-- the exact same amount Charles Bowman was murdered for, which sounds a little too coincidental to be true.

Two shootings yesterday near Franklintown Blvd & Edmonson Ave

The Dept of Labor is suing Baltimore Behavioral Health for withholding financial records. A Sun investigation uncovered veritable assloads of shadiness at the supposed treatment clinic, including stolen retirement funds, Medicaid fraudsters on the payroll, and family members of the director pocketing six-figure salaries.

Judge Ben C. Clyburn has issued a “stay” on 3,878 debt col­lec­tion cases brought by two com­pa­nies whose busi­ness licenses have been sus­pended

After liberating Libya, Matthew VanDyke is now headed home to work on his memoirs

No bail for a woman arrested here and charged with running a prostitution ring in El Paso

A prisoner named Derontay walked away from a work detail in Glen Burnie yesterday, but was soon recaptured

Down in Bethesda, Brittany Norwood was found guilty of murdering co-worker Jayna Murray

A thoroughly depressing suspected grandson/grandma murder/suicide in Parkville

The City Paper has their election endorsements. Wouldn't it be nice if Pistol Pete got rousted?

Dead Man Inc. Indictments

22 members of the infamous Dead Man Incorporated were indicted in federal court today. Among the bevy of crimes the 18 men and 4 women indicted were charged with are the 2009 murders of James Flanary, Tony Geiger, Eugene Chambers, & Walter Milewski.

Indicted Members Are:

Perry “Saho the Ghost” Roark, age 42
James Sweeney, age 34
Nicky Cash, age 46
George "Fat Boy" Treas IV, age 28
Dane Shives, age 22
Michael Anthony Quinn, age 28
Michael “Skinny Pimp” Forame Jr., age 40
Brian Mitchell, age 40
Richard Lee Ingram, age 45
Timothy “Fuhrer” Mixter, age 35
John Henry Adams, age 25
Gregory David Cook Jr., age 36
Jeremy Ridgeway, age 22
John William Zion Jr., age 27
Russell Bernard Hartman, age 29
Bonnie Rice, age 35
Kelly Witter, age 26
Charles Robert Gray Jr., age 31
Edward Adam Mueller, age 31
Melanie Holquist, age 28
Scott William Jarriel, age 28
Gary Charles Horton, age 26

Despite the vast majority of members having long, serious, and violent criminal records, information was quite difficult to find on the indicted members. If you find any more information on the indicted, let us know.

"her buttocks had scratches"

The investigation into the shooting of William Torbit Jr. is reportedly complete, with results expected to be released to the public tomorrow (my money's on Friday afternoon, though...)

Walter Bishop Jr. got life without parole, which of course means he's eligible for parole in 25 years. Sentencing for handgun and conspiracy charges are still TK, though.

The accusation of sexual assault at Occupy Baltimore was unfounded, say police. Apparently a woman woke up to find that "her buttocks had scratches" and there was "$1,800 missing from an envelope in her purse." Who could sleep through a buttock-scratching? Who keeps $1,800 in their purse? And what's the next step for these occupiers, anyway?
.. in other protest-y news, a petition is circulation calling for greater transparency and more community participation from the Greater Baltimore Development Corporation, and protestors are gathering at 36 South Charles at 5 p.m. on the 7th, "where some sunlight can hopefully be cast upon these matters"

OH and here's some shady-sounding shiz: The Brew reports that the Board of Estimates has just approved a new no-bid contracting process that will have contractors selected by a five-member board instead of via competitive bidding. I don't see how such a system could possibly invite corruption, do you?

County police are ISO this lumberjack-looking guy for robbing an Essex CVS. He's also guilty of gross and willful fashion violations-- black jeans and white sneakers, yech.

THIS is a good idea: the city got a grant to build a child-custody handoff center. (... how bananas is it that a husband could try to strangle his wife, but still have unsupervised visits with kids?!)

Two drug-toting individuals are in custody after causing a flaming crash a few blocks from City College yesterday

Puke sandwiches: politicians line up to praise the honesty, integrity and overall super-fabulousness of Ulysses S. Currie. Closing statements in that case are apparently going on right now.

Former city solicitor Ralph Tyler, defender of many a police misconduct lawsuit, is joining the local mega-firm of Venable LLP.

Curtis Lopez, accused killer of Jane and William McQuain, is OTW back to MD from NC. .. apparently in these extradition cases the perp actually rides on a commercial airline handcuffed to a Marshall. If that's true, is the perp allowed to get little pretzels and half a Coke?

Walter Bishop Dodges Death

A Harford County jury has decided against the death penalty for Walter Bishop, and apparently against life w/o parole as well.

172, 173

A man was fatally shot in the 2900 block of Greenmount Avenue yesterday evening after being robbed in front of the Yau Brothers carryout, and during prime trick-or-treating hours, no less.

Richard A. Ford Jr., shot in 1998 on York Rd. in Govans, has died of shooting-related injuries.

A man was arrested in the tan van teen gang rape case: one Lucky Christopher Crosby Jr., 22, who was wearing a GPS ankle bracelet at the time.

It is your right to videotape the police. But that apparently doesn't mean they can't threaten to arrest you on some BS charge and erase everything on your phone anyway.

Violence in Waverly

Fatal shooting at the Yau Brothers carryout on Greenmount. This is the second fatal robbery at that establishment in less than two years.

Rape Assault alleged at Occupy Baltimore

Some tension at the Occupy Baltimore protest

What a relief

In NE Bmore it's unusual to hear gunshots in the morning.

Cat mutilator pleads guilty

Ethan Weibman, 20, pleaded guilty to charges related to two cats he mutilated earlier this year. Weibman was busted when he and his girlfriend Jorden Donahue took a beaten, shot cat back to the SPCA... and asked for another cat. This Facebook group went to great pains to copy his profile pictures (lots of weed shots from his Hampshire College days) and contains high levels of seething rage ... rage so conspicuously absent when human children are beaten to death in the city, no?

Buckets of Duckets

Detective Jemell L. Rayam, who TDR reports shot three people in two years, is being sued by the family of his most recent shooting victim. This makes us wonder, how much has the BPD paid out in lawsuits so far this year (and how does that compare to other years)? In March Brendan Kearney tallied up $800,000 in settlements for the first two months of 2011, then in July $100,000 to a 65-year-old man beaten when police thought he was rolling a joint, $30,000 to this guy, then $250,000 for the helicopter-unit whistleblower, $45,000 for a guy who had his arm broken ... Did I miss any? $1.225 million then?

A knife-wielding man hopped in the front seat of a deputy sheriff's cruiser stopped at a traffic light at Walther Avenue and Moravia Road and got himself shot

18-year-old James Johnson was arrested for the murder of 70-year-old Milton Hill

Another murder at the Perkins hospital-- patient Ragelio Mondragon was killed and one Andre Mayo is charged.

Ppatin will be tickled pink to hear that a HarfCo jury has found Walter Bishop Jr. eligible for the death penalty.

en fuego!

Mark Cheshire es en fuego! Three press releases from the SAO:
- Life +10 for the killer of Shonte Ellis, shot 16 times while she sat in a parked car outside of The Clubhouse Bar.

- 40 years for Antwane Brown, who shot his neighbor in the back and paralyzed him

- the SAO's office has gotten a grant of $127,984 for a prostitution diversion program. Apparently the city arrests 1,200 prostitutes a year. (Or the same 10 prostitutes every other day.)

The Urbanite publishes mini-essays by prisoners in Michael Corbin's writing class

Accused document thief Barry Landau's assistant (also referred to as his 'associate' or 'young friend' in reports), Jason Savedoff, 24, left, is due in federal court today. Savedoff is from Vancouver and has worked as a model. How he got hooked up with Landau, mommy is dying to know.

Heads up, boozehounds: the state is expanding the ignition interlock system to include DUI first-timers who blow more than .15. Sounds like one of these thingys would be a worthwhile investment. Or just do your drinking and driving in the city, where few police officers can be bothered to haul your drunken ass to central booking.

Two vigils

Fenton reports on the vigil for Marquis Jones, which ended in a stampede of terror fueled by the fact that the killer is still at large, "as is the case in nearly six out of 10 city homicides."

The North Baltimore Patch has a roundup of robberies

Deadline passes, but 'Occupy Baltimore' campers remain, with the mayor restrained yet irritated: "it's not about pitching a tent, it's about getting the work done." (that's what she said... *snicker*).

The crime beat is tough in Bmore

Even reporters from Scotland have a have a hard time getting the facts from the BPD

Walter Bishop Jr. Guilty

In the murder of William Porter. The Sun's Arthur Hirsch reports that sentencing is scheduled for tomorrow in HarfCo, and Bishop could possibly be the first person sentenced to death since the law was changed to only make eligible cases that involve DNA or videotaped evidence. And the judge (I assume?) has okayed the release of the tape of Bishop describing the murder to a county detective. "I come around the corner, point it, close my eyes and squeeze the trigger."

Afternoon Roundup

A man was rescued after falling into the Inner Harbor at around 2:30 am.

The Federal bribery trial of good 'ol Ulysses Currie is still going, even without Currie actually taking the stand. His trial is expected to go to the jury sometime next week.

An inside scoop into the begining of the lululemon murder trial over in Montgomery County. The Washington Post has someone live tweeting the happenings of the case.

A Howard County police officer is in stable condition after striking a guardrail and flipping his patrol car in order to avoid a deer.

Police have arrested 34-year-old Dionysios Vinias for the armed robbery of a 70-year-old lady at a Glen Burnie Box N' Save. When Mr. Vinias isn't robbing little old ladies he apparently enjoys drawing and the band Tool, according to his Myspace page.

Anne Arundel County police have busted creepy janitor Jason Beatty, 30, for committing some less-than-school-board -approved acts whilst outside a young girls home.

Finally, jury deliberation in the first death penalty case since the implementing of new rules as to what is considered a death-penalty warranting case has begun today.

A tan van

The BPD is ISO a tan van driven by a man who raped a 14-year-old.
Also, whoever wrote this post really needs to learn the difference between a plural and a possessive.

More Sun Layoffs!? Srsly?

A 32-year-old man shot in the face at 1300 block of North Spring Street in East Baltimore last night

The SAO reports that Baltimore City Circuit Court jury convicted Dajuan Marshall yesterday of "conspiracy to murder and participation in a criminal street gang resulting in death" for the 2008 murder of Kenneth Jones. Jones was forced into a trunk, shot in the head with large-caliber handgun and his body dumped in the 4500 block of Bonner Road in Northwest Baltimore. Says the SAO, "Jones was the leader of the Pasadena Denver Lanes Bloods gang, also known by the acronym PDL. At the time of the murder, Jones's PDL was in a dispute with a rival set of Bounty Hunter Bloods known as the Spider Gang, which was headed by Marshall." Twenty-three PDLs were indicted in 2009 on federal racketeering charges.

The Ink summarizes last week's two murders; noting that 23-year-old victim Antoinne Pratt managed to drive himself for four blocks before expiring.

Inside Charm City reports that the Baltimore Sun Media Group is cutting even more positions: 10 in the Patuxent and Homestead groups. As much as I want to support reporting and such, that is a total dick move ($115 million in management bonuses!!). Also note that if you subscribe to the Sun online they make it nearly impossible to cancel your subscription-- you can't do it online, you have to send them a message and then have someone call you to try to talk you out of it first. If you do subscribe online, good idea to use Amex or another credit card that provides consumer protection.

Jack Young is apparently against paying for police settlements, but made an exception for an officer fired after he blew the whistle on waste and mismanagement in the helicopter unit.

MarylandReporter.com alleges a case of quid-pro-quo back-scratchery when it comes to the new alcohol tax, with the $$ to benefit the districts whose representatives voted to support the tax, not where the funds are needed most. (... don't miss the awkward hilarity that is Len Lazarek interviewing Herman Cain.)

Terry Lee Nolley, 47, of Silver Spring pleaded guilty to transporting child pornography and destruction of records; Nolley was the host of a bulletin board called “Country Lounge” that hosted child pornography for the enjoyment of 142 members.

A peeper busted in Glen Burnie

And, finally, Occupy Baltimore has been asked by the mayor's office to have only two people spend the night. (But where are the campers using the bathroom?! Someone please tell me!)

Victim #170 was ID'd as Sherry Montgomery-Cantey, 43.

County police are ISO a striped-jacket-wearing bank robber responsible for robberies in Towson and Parkville.

BCPD detective Antonio Green is in a hefty lot of trouble for filing some false disability claims.

Speaking of lawmen gone bad, there have been two more guilty pleas in the massive Majestic towing scandal. 25-year-old Jerry Diggs Jr., and 39-year-old Osvaldo Valentine both pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit and committing extortion. Diggs and Valentine both face a max of 25 years when sentenced.

14 years in Federal prison for crack dealing Curtis Bay resident William Bayne.

Over in Howard County, police have busted the mother-daughter tandem of Denia Lyonette Wallace, 35, and Kyresha Shamaya Anderson, 16, for what are now charges of armed robbery after they maced a security officer whilst shoplifting some unknown items.

Yet another murder-suicide in Maryland. It appears a murder-suicide has occurred in Rockville at the National Lutheran Communities & Services assisted living home.

Thomas Anthony Hubbard, 52, is facing serious time in the Federal clink for committing an Upper Marlboro sub shop robbery using a gun and a fake bomb. This is Hubbard's 3rd conviction and 4th arrest for robbery since 1991, so don't be surprised if a hefty sentence is imposed.

Finally, In Harford County, police are frantically searching for the creepers in a black work van who attempted to kidnap a 14-year-old boy off the street.