Frustrated by lenient bail, Baltimore police and the Downtown Partnership have called on state court officials to keep those who repeatedly break into and steal from cars locked up.
The outcry came after police say five men -- arrested in recent months and charged with stealing more than $130,000 in goods from 200 vehicles -- were back on the streets within days.
If the trend continues, officials warn, it will wipe out recent declines in vehicle break-ins, and spur on thieves who can clean a vehicle of money, cellular phones and handicapped parking permits in 10 seconds.
"We are very concerned by this," said Downtown Partnership Public Safety Director Tom Yeager, a former city police major. "We need to let the judges know the impact this is having on downtown Baltimore."
The downtown area is beset by 10 to 15 vehicle break-ins a day, police say, and more than 15,000 cars citywide are broken into annually.
In the six-month period ending June 26, an estimated 480 fewer vehicle break-ins were reported to Central District police than in the same period last year. That represents a 16 percent decline, police said. The downtown area had 30 fewer vehicle break-ins, or a 5.8 percent decline.
"It is still not as few as I would like it to be," said D. Randy Dull, a sergeant with Central District's major crimes unit, noting he is stepping up his undercover car break-in operations.
`Generally released'
Keith Mathews, administrative judge for Baltimore District Court, said crowded prisons often force bail commissioners to release nonviolent suspects on minimal bail or on their own recognizance. He is sympathetic to police and Downtown Partnership concerns, but does not foresee a change in bail commissioners' rulings.
"When they come in on a minor offense, they are generally released," Mathews said. "We treat downtown crimes the same as if they were on Eastern Avenue."
But Dull said one person can be responsible for hundreds of vehicle break-ins.
Five suspects
Timothy Wendell Smith of the 4200 block of Elderon Ave. was arrested June 29 on larceny charges. Police say he acknowledged stealing $32,671 in merchandise from 22 cars and was released on $2,000 bail.
A few days later, Smith was arrested again after more cars were broken into, police said. He was released on his own recognizance.
Eddie Ray Barksdale, 44, of the 1400 block of McCulloh St. was arrested May 31 after an off-duty city police officer caught a man breaking into her car on East Mount Royal Avenue.
