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There are certain neighborhoods where I'm uncomfortable walking around at night. There are certain jobs I wouldn't let my kids take. There are some places I won't let my wife go alone.
The reason is simple: Fear of crime.
Crime is down in this county over the last several years, and intelligent law enforcement can be credited for much of that.
But our perception of crime doesn't always match reality, and trying to sort out the two is a constant struggle not only for journalists but for anyone who lives and works in this area.
If you read "Police Beat" in the Maryland Gazette, or subscribe to the county police crime watch list, it's easy to believe we're in the middle of a wave of thefts and robberies.
Residents in Linthicum have formed a new crime watch group because of petty thefts and other small crimes. Last week alone, several people walking along, minding their own business in Pasadena, Glen Burnie, Millersville and Severn were beaten or threatened and robbed.
Much of this is handled by police in a routine manner because they are everyday occurrences.
Yet after a single mugging on the Baltimore Annapolis Trail Park last month in Harundale, police commanders launched a saturation patrol that netted more than 30 arrests. Most were for trespassing after the trail closes at dusk, but they also charged three people in the robbery that sparked the extra effort.
County officials quietly say Baltimore TV stations blew the trail robbery out of proportion, and a news conference last week on the results of the sweep was driven by the sudden perception that the trail was not safe.
Public perception also helps explain the widespread traction of last month's Arundel Mills nternet rumor. It disseminated a bogus police warning on the mall's parking lot.
Police felt the need to issue a statement clarifying the picture by reassuring the public it is safe to go to the mall. Then on Monday, perception and reality got another swizzle when police identified a man believed to be responsible for several robberies in that parking lot.
Given all this, what do we make of the overwhelming police response to theft of a pizza in Millersville on Saturday night?
Officers called in dog teams and the department helicopter to run down two young men who robbed a pizza guy shortly before 7 p.m. in the 600 block of Millstream Court. The driver told police two men demanded his pizza - not his cash, just pizza.
The helicopter crew spotted the two and directed officers to them for the arrest near the Harper's Mill neighborhood. Police charged Stewart R. Robinson Jr., 18, of Millersville and a 15-year-old Millersville boy with robbery and theft under $100.
Sgt. John Gilmer, county police spokesman, said it's not what was stolen that was important, but the robbery itself that prompted the overwhelming response.
"It's still a crime of violence," he said.
That's certainly true, and a logical perception. But the reality also includes police concerns about the area as one with a history of teenage nuisance crimes such as fights and minor robberies.
I don't think police usually are being disingenuous when they talk about crime and public safety. We just don't always see the full picture.
Sgt. Gilmer said district commanders take a proactive approach to street crimes, using suppression patrols or undercover units on stakeouts in areas identified as having a problem. They also rely on the public's help in identifying problems, or anything out of the ordinary.
We seldom hear about the success stories, a gap that's my failing as well as the department's.
"We have seen some success. We've had a few situations where we've got people breaking into vehicles, caught some people at thefts," Sgt. Gilmer said.
Police obviously are concerned about public perception, and it's part of their law enforcement strategy to steer it in this direction or that from time to time. So, how to divine the difference between perception and reality on the safety of our streets?
I asked Sgt. Gilmer: Is it dangerous to walk on the streets of north county at night?
"I would not say that's the case."
---
Rick Hutzell is the editor of the Maryland Gazette. E-mail him at rhutzell@mdgazette.com
Copyright © 2008 The Maryland Gazette and Capital Gazette Communications, Inc.
asshole
jerk
bitch
suck
fuck
There are certain neighborhoods where I'm uncomfortable walking around at night. There are certain jobs I wouldn't let my kids take. There are some places I won't let my wife go alone.
The reason is simple: Fear of crime.
Crime is down in this county over the last several years, and intelligent law enforcement can be credited for much of that.
But our perception of crime doesn't always match reality, and trying to sort out the two is a constant struggle not only for journalists but for anyone who lives and works in this area.
If you read "Police Beat" in the Maryland Gazette, or subscribe to the county police crime watch list, it's easy to believe we're in the middle of a wave of thefts and robberies.
Residents in Linthicum have formed a new crime watch group because of petty thefts and other small crimes. Last week alone, several people walking along, minding their own business in Pasadena, Glen Burnie, Millersville and Severn were beaten or threatened and robbed.
Much of this is handled by police in a routine manner because they are everyday occurrences.
Yet after a single mugging on the Baltimore Annapolis Trail Park last month in Harundale, police commanders launched a saturation patrol that netted more than 30 arrests. Most were for trespassing after the trail closes at dusk, but they also charged three people in the robbery that sparked the extra effort.
County officials quietly say Baltimore TV stations blew the trail robbery out of proportion, and a news conference last week on the results of the sweep was driven by the sudden perception that the trail was not safe.
Public perception also helps explain the widespread traction of last month's Arundel Mills nternet rumor. It disseminated a bogus police warning on the mall's parking lot.
Police felt the need to issue a statement clarifying the picture by reassuring the public it is safe to go to the mall. Then on Monday, perception and reality got another swizzle when police identified a man believed to be responsible for several robberies in that parking lot.
Given all this, what do we make of the overwhelming police response to theft of a pizza in Millersville on Saturday night?
Officers called in dog teams and the department helicopter to run down two young men who robbed a pizza guy shortly before 7 p.m. in the 600 block of Millstream Court. The driver told police two men demanded his pizza - not his cash, just pizza.
The helicopter crew spotted the two and directed officers to them for the arrest near the Harper's Mill neighborhood. Police charged Stewart R. Robinson Jr., 18, of Millersville and a 15-year-old Millersville boy with robbery and theft under $100.
Sgt. John Gilmer, county police spokesman, said it's not what was stolen that was important, but the robbery itself that prompted the overwhelming response.
"It's still a crime of violence," he said.
That's certainly true, and a logical perception. But the reality also includes police concerns about the area as one with a history of teenage nuisance crimes such as fights and minor robberies.
I don't think police usually are being disingenuous when they talk about crime and public safety. We just don't always see the full picture.
Sgt. Gilmer said district commanders take a proactive approach to street crimes, using suppression patrols or undercover units on stakeouts in areas identified as having a problem. They also rely on the public's help in identifying problems, or anything out of the ordinary.
We seldom hear about the success stories, a gap that's my failing as well as the department's.
"We have seen some success. We've had a few situations where we've got people breaking into vehicles, caught some people at thefts," Sgt. Gilmer said.
Police obviously are concerned about public perception, and it's part of their law enforcement strategy to steer it in this direction or that from time to time. So, how to divine the difference between perception and reality on the safety of our streets?
I asked Sgt. Gilmer: Is it dangerous to walk on the streets of north county at night?
"I would not say that's the case."
---
Rick Hutzell is the editor of the Maryland Gazette. E-mail him at rhutzell@mdgazette.com
Copyright © 2008 The Maryland Gazette and Capital Gazette Communications, Inc.
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