We recognize that crime over the past few weeks has been alarming. (Shomrim received no less than 65 calls in a single day!) The good news is that we seem to be making inroads, thanks in no small part to our dedicated all-volunteer responders, Baltimore City Police, County Police, and a vigilant supportive community.

At the beginning of this week, Baltimore City Police posted a command center in the neighborhood, near Pickwick. They sat down to meet with Shomrim, Baltimore County Police, and various roving patrols that are working in the area. The team made sure that we all had cross-talking radios, to allow for seamless and rapid communication between all the groups.

On Monday, there were no less than five break-ins reported between 12:30 and 2 PM in both the city and County. Shomrim units responded (some to the scene, some fanning out far from the crime scene, to establish a perimeter). Two suspects were seen running from one house, and jumping into a silver vehicle. Units called out location, and descriptions of the vehicle and its occupants. Unfortunately, the suspects knew they were being watched, so they made their escape at very high (and unsafe) speeds.

Thanks to the initial responders on scene, we knew the make, model and tags of the suspects’ vehicle. We connected the dots to a car that had been stolen previously from the 6700 block of Cross Country.

Fortunately, Shomrim’s strategy of fanning out and forming a perimeter worked well. Long after the suspects thought they had eluded pursuit (and far from the scene of the crimes), Shomrim units spotted the car in question.

Maintaining a quiet and safe distance, Shomrim units kept eyes on the silver car as it drove into the city, with the suspects sometimes stopping to chat with friends along the way. Our units alerted the City Police Command Center, who sent up the helicopter, and numerous units by car. When the car stopped and the suspects went into a house in Baltimore City, Shomrim gave the address to Baltimore City Police, who arrested the suspects.

Shomrim were then able to ascertain that these same suspects were quite likely to have committed similar crimes in previous weeks – and, thanks to the community at-large, a general appeal was made for these suspects to be held without bail pending trial. Thanks again to your visible support, the judge concurred, and ruled that the suspects would be held without bail pending trial. In other words, these suspects will not be released before they are tried for these crimes.

Well done!

Stay Vigilant! If you see something, say something!

We at Shomrim want to thank the Baltimore City Police as well as County Police for their extra care and attention during this period, and their support in coordination and cooperation.

We have an especial “thank you” to the community. Not only is it YOUR phone calls that alert us to potential problems, but your support for the police department has also been extremely helpful and welcome (we note that the police officers stationed in the Command Center received their fill of homebaked treats!).

It is the Police-Community relationship that makes all the difference-together we can keep our community safe! Thank you all!

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)