The epidemic number of car break-ins on downtown Baltimore streets may be showing signs of abating, as police report a 25 percent drop in complaints since they started a crackdown in August.
Police said they have made 38 arrests since Aug. 22 in the downtown area, clearing 738 car break-ins. They said two suspects confessed to a litany of cases involving more than $275,000 in stolen property that never can be recovered.
The Downtown Partnership -- a group that promotes businesses -- is warning visitors about the problem.
"We will be doing a significant public relations campaign that will communicate the message that people need to leave their valuables in their trunks," said Laurie B. Schwartz, president of the partnership. "Our visitors to downtown can prevent their car from being broken into."
Schwartz said the theme of the campaign will be, "When you leave your car, leave it empty."
"It's the perfect time," said Maj. Steven E. McMahon, commander of the Central District, noting the closeness of the holiday season. McMahon has made car break-ins a priority for his officers. In the first seven months of this year, 9,507 cars were broken into in Baltimore.
McMahon has two "decoy squads" working the streets. They park undercover cars on streets and leave items inside, such as car phones, packs of cigarettes or tools. The officers hide and wait to arrest whoever goes for the bait.
Most of the suspects are charged only with the break-in witnessed by police, but police say many agree to confess to hundreds of other break-ins. In exchange for the confessions, which enabled police to close the cases, police agreed not to charge them with the other counts. Authorities said that without the confessions, there would not be enough evidence to make an arrest.
But the confessions often are presented to judges, who are handing out stiffer sentences to repeat offenders.
"We are having pretty good luck with judges," McMahon said. "Most of the suspects are starting to get some time, a year or 18 months."
Police had complained that because the crime is considered nonviolent, suspects were getting off easy. That was partly because many victims -- the criminals often target cars with out-of-state license plates -- don't come to court. Police say that won't happen with the decoy squads because the officers will show up.
