A spotlight sweeps across the dark expanse of a crowded street corner, casting shadows on young faces. Several teen-agers take to their heels, scattering in every direction.
"We go through this every night," says Baltimore Police Sgt. Richard Hite, aiming his comments at a youth who has refused to budge, even though Hite's spotlight frames his chiseled features. "You know the drill. Move along."
Longtime residents say scenes like this have been played out time and again on the streets of East Baltimore since Maj. Wendell M. France took command of the beleaguered Eastern Police District two months ago. The nightly drama has had a positive impact in drug-ridden neighborhoods like Middle East, where homicides dropped by more than 50 percent during France's first 60 days on the job.
Since France took the post, seven homicides have occurred in the Eastern District, a 4-mile area that encompasses Johns Hopkins Hospital and one of the state's largest correctional facilities. Seventeen homicides occurred during the period last year.
"The police have taken a more active role since France took over the department," said Elroy Christopher, 42, who lives on Luzerne Avenue in Middle East. "The streets seem a lot safer. You don't see kids on the corner, hanging out the way they used to."
France, a 26-year veteran of the Police Department, took over the district command on Aug. 19 from Maj. Odis L. Sistrunk Jr., a popular leader whose departure sparked protests from community leaders. Sistrunk was moved, a top commander said, because the district's homicide rate was consistently the city's highest.
"Odis was a really nice guy, but he just didn't appear to have an aggressive enough program for the level of crime in East Baltimore," said Jim Davenport, senior associate of The Door, a faith-based nonprofit group that works in Middle East to improve residents' economic standing.
From Jan. 1 to Aug. 19, 218 homicides occurred in the city, 47 of them in the Eastern District, according to police figures. Citywide, the number of homicides was -- and still is -- ahead of the pace last year, when Baltimore had 325 homicides for the year.
To help bring those numbers down, France redeployed some of his 260 officers and ordered his patrols to be more aggressive, to reclaim street corners from drug dealers so that residents can venture outside without fear.
