Do Not Miss

this article by David Simon in today's Guardian (UK), and thanks to Matthew for sending.

No one asks why police commanders are routinely able to reduce the rates of robbery, or rape, or assault significantly in any time period prior to an election, while the murder rate - in which the victim can't be obscured or clerically "unfounded" - stays as high as ever.

Well, since Bealefeld, the murder rate isn't as high as ever-- why?
(And is it true that a murder victim can't be clerically "unfounded"?)

Toddler Missing as Hurricane* Nears!

A city toddler, Ramon Richardson, (left) went missing from the 1800 block of Milton Avenue after his aunt left him outside, alone.

"In the last of its four public hearings, the Maryland Commission on Capital Punishment explored yesterday the risk of innocent people being executed"

Peter Hermann gets into the spirit of blogging in a piece on the Colonial Inn's gaming-machine bust: "here are some random obversations [sic]. Don't ask me what they mean."

Maryland State Police, after a two-year-long-investigation, arrested and charged a Glenn J. Raynor, 39, of HarfCo in connection with a 2006 rape investigation.

Car-repair shop arson in the Deener.

* I should say, alleged tropical storm. The NOAA doesn't appear to be predicting anything but less than an inch of rain.

Police Officers Charged with Assault, Endangerment

Today prosecutors filed a criminal information charging Baltimore Police Detective Terry Love, 31, and Baltimore County Deputy Sheriff Michael Herring, 36, of Towson, with second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and dangerous weapon charges. Prosecutors filed the criminal information after a joint law enforcement investigation.

The alleged incident occurred in the early morning of September 8, 2007 at the intersection of Belvedere Avenue and York Road and involves a 42-yr. old black male who was beaten and left unconscious in the road. The maximum penalty under the law is 10 years in prison.

A criminal summons has been issued in these cases and an arraignment is scheduled for October 7, 2008 before the Honorable Sylvester Cox.
-- info from the SAO

18 Shootings this Week

... mapped by Spotcrime.

Five years for Todd Alan Poorman, who allegedly shot his friend to death six times at close range.

Peter Hermann writes about a 66-year-old tourist with a slipped disc robbed in Mt. Vernon.

And a featurette on the John Watch, which, oddly, doesn't include a url or have a link to the blog.
... today the BJW posted a map that makes the high-traffic areas quite clear.

Sperm-Soaked Chihuahuas

... wouldn't commit these kinds of crimes!!

Buried in the Blotter: "A man, 30, was attempting to prevent a gunman from entering his home in the first block of W. 23rd St. about 3 a.m. Wednesday when he was shot in the upper body."
... also, a 13-year-old robbed of shoes and a man robbed of pain pills.

Bmore's making efforts to reduce 911's call volume

A very unusual street robbery in Homeland.

A drive-thru stabbing at the Popeye's chicken in Cockeysville

Cons escape in Queen Anne's County. The bald one is still on the loose.

Wacky: the Iranian government is suing a Baltimore company for damaging $50 million worth of military supplies that were being stored here.

Legislators put new DNA collection regulations on hold

News of the Pervy:
- Touchy teacher Alan Beier will stay in jail in spite of being a target of attacks
- 'Publican pederast and former "Big Brother" Robert McKee is expected to plead guilty to child porn charges.

Fuckwad Holding Hostages

Oh God, another domestic hostage situation. Some asshole has two hostages in Parkville.
Update: Everyone was released unharmed. Phew!

A judge sent Mark Castillo to a psychiatric hospital yesterday.

Bealefeld's canned the commander of the SW, following last weekend's shootathon, and is doing no tail sitting when it comes to the abysmal homicide clearance rate.

Two alleged shooters arrested, one of whom is 16.

WTF?! In PGC, an 8-month-old baby was shot to death!

Buz sez Eddie's has a new item: pistol whip

Stolen in the Northern: iPod, Cadillac, violin, DVDs, coins, etc.

Detoit Mayor to Plead Guilty to Two Felony Counts!!

... and The Detroit Free Press has uplive, streaming video of the whole thing!
We heart the Internets!!
(thanks for the heads-up J!)
... CNN has a better connection.

September 3

"4 killed in 15 weekend shootings in the city" and two more shootings reported last night.

The Ink adds two new names to the toll.

A suspect is at large after robbing a Rite Aid on Security Blvd. and kidnapping an employee.

The Court of appeals has ruled that a prison inmate’s confession to investigators that he molested a child can’t be used against him.

Another "Stop Fucking Snitching" figure is about to get some time. "Tremain Arrnel Tazewell admitted in federal court Tuesday that he worked with a conspirator who bought heroin in New York" (the headline is deceiving, Tazewell faces a max of 20 years but has not been sentenced yet).

New school year, new efforts to increase the peace. (Doesn't Exhibit A have the best covers?!)
And, on John Watch, a fresh hooker 'round the elementary school!

Bail bondsman Valdez V. Fisher Jr.: "an arrestee’s access to freedom is far too immediate and convenient."

Media Blabber: CP on the Sun-related blogs.
Lynn Anderson left journalism and moved to France!

What the?!: Two brothers who ran a Philadelphia funeral home have pleaded guilty to selling corpses to a company that trafficked in stolen body parts, including Alistair Cooke's!
(Insert "Master's Pieces Theatre" joke here)

# 147, # 148

Reports the Sun's Sara Neufeld: Reginald Carter Jr., 20, 400 block of S. Longwood St. at 9:10 p.m last night; unidentified teenager, shot in the chest in the 200 block of S. Woodington Road.
-- correction, this is the same as #146.

What the?! "A Baltimore judge has awarded $275,000 to a Hampden tow truck driver who, after complaining about the wait at the city’s impound lot, was badly beaten by the lot attendant."

In Dundalk, a house burgled, the resident murdered, and the teenage co-defendant is out of jail.

Ew. Former Maryland state delegate Robert A. McKee was charged with possessing child pornography and reportedly will plead guilty.

Did you know? Target has its own crime lab!

A break -in and violation of a protective order in the 4500 block of Keswick, a BB-gun shooting at Robert Poole middle school (mascot, the Fightin' Busbeaters) and a pickpocketed gal at the ESPN Zone in the Blotter.

County detention center all finished... but the lawsuits are just getting started.

Hey, the Court of Appeals has three VJJs now!

Lori Responds!

"Thanks for your interest in my whereabouts. b was a freelance gig and responsibilities at my real job have pulled me away from it. My posts linked to all sources. I can't speak on their transition to print, as in this position, I was strictly a blogger and not a one-woman publishing house.Also, nothing's been removed from the archive http://www.bthesite.com/archives/author/loribarrett/."

A milli!

We reached a million hits sometime this morning! That's kind of a lot
(For a little blog like this, anyway!)

Labor Day

As you enjoy your days off (well, most of you):

A man in his early 20s was fatally shot in the safe and friendly neighborhood of Irvington, making him number 146. Even with the offense, it is worth noting the dramatic dip in homicides in the city, which is exactly what the Examiner did.

Brandon Barfield, a 20-year-old little dear, was arrested for multiple robberies in northeast Baltimore yesterday.

The Blotter for Monday features a shooting, a robbery, and a homicide as an addendum to random nonfatal offenses ...

MD Dept. Juvenile Justice = Huge Mess

Jaw-dropper of the week: "Dwayne Price had been arrested 11 times and had run away from state custody at least once. Yet at the age of 18, the state's juvenile justice system gave him one final chance at rehabilitation." Less than a month later, he'd raped an 88-year-old woman, "the second time Price had raped an elderly woman while supposedly under state supervision." ... and it just goes downhill from there.

Sun blogger Peter Hermann writes about murder victim Tyisha M. Brown. Employs sentence fragments. For drama. Like Rodricks. Likes to.

Bealefeld attributes the record-low homicide rate to "a focus on locking up repeat violent offenders," Dixon's office also credits a city health department mediation program.

Har! Raven/genius Derrick Martin was suspended a game and fined after taking his pot to the airport.

MD news:
In QAC, an 18-year-old is charged with hitting an 11-year-old and a 15-year-old with her car (on purpose)

Hyattsville's Wendy Garcia, age 25, got three years in jail for lying to protect members of the Gang that Saves Trout. Also facing the business end of the long Rod of the law: a bank robber, a gun possessor and a guy who defrauded the Small Business Administration.

Looks Gangsta but Isn't Dept:
Converse pulls "gangsta" shoes

Dr. Dre's son was found dead, cause undetermined