Police Commissioner Anthony Batts, Southern District Major Ian Dombroski, State’s Attorney Gregg Bernstein and other members of the Southern District Police and the State’s Attorney’s office were on hand at the Federal Hill South Neighborhood Association meeting on Tuesday night to address crime and safety in the area and throughout the city. Commissioner Batts, without saying exactly where he lived, let attendees know that Councilman Cole is also his councilman, so the issues in the area impacted him as well.
The good news is that crime this year is significantly down in Sector 4, which includes the neighborhoods of Otterbein, Sharp-Leadenhall, Federal Hill, Federal Hill South, SBNA, Riverside, Locust Point, Ridgely’s Delight, the stadium area, and portions of Barre Circle. Overall crime is down 20%, with steep drops in robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries, violent crime, property crime and auto larceny. No shootings or homicides occurred in the sector.
Though crime is on the decline in the area, Commissioner Batts is looking to change Baltimore and Federal Hill’s perception as a “party town.” He noted concerns regarding intoxicated people, especially females, as well as loud noise, overcrowding and public urination in the area. “We want people to spend a lot (and a lot) of money here, but we don’t want people to come here and tear up Baltimore,” he said.
Major changes are coming regarding the overtime police force that works around the Federal Hill bar district on Friday and Saturday nights. Batts noted a previous lack of engagement among some officers on this assignment, as well as too much standing around. Batts said that these individuals have been replaced with some of the “most engaging” officers in the department.
Since June, the police department stopped closing down streets on Friday and Saturday nights. They will now be adding extra patrol in both the immediate area surrounding Cross Street and in the surrounding neighborhoods, as many patrons disperse into these communities after leaving the area.
Though there is a frustration with “quality of life” crimes in the area, the BCPD is limited in what they can do. Due to the drastic rise in arrests in the early 2000s through “zero tolerance policing,” Baltimore City and the department faced a lawsuit from the NAACP that has limited their ability to make arrests in “quality of life” crimes. Officers must first look for any additional options before making an arrest, so citations, many of which are around $200, will be given for instances such as drunk and disorderly conduct and public urination.
Major changes around the Inner Harbor were also discussed during the meeting. A new position was created for Lt. Col. Melissa Hyatt, who will now oversee the districts surrounding the harbor and help them work cohesively together. These districts include Southern, Southeastern, Central and West.
Batts also discussed the extra planning that has taken place and the extra patrols that have been implemented for major events, such as the Grand Prix and the Fourth of July fireworks. In addition, a new bike patrol has been added to the immediate area and all police officers will soon have tablets in their cars.