Baltimore police have calculated the cost of a lawmaker's mock police raid cum marriage proposal, which involved a department helicopter and patrol boat in the Inner Harbor. The amount: $300.
State Del. Jon S. Cardin paid the tab Thursday, but at least one city councilman thinks the figure is perplexingly low.
As promised, Cardin, a Baltimore County Democrat, wrote a check to the city after receiving a letter from Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III. Cardin declined to comment further about an incident that, while widely publicized, leaves several questions unanswered.
Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi called the tab "absolutely fair-market rate," and said it was based on 15 minutes of marine police time and boat fuel and the minutes the Foxtrot helicopter hovered over the scene. The spokesman did not provide a detailed breakdown of expenses, such as the number of officers involved and their pay rates.
That's the kind of information that Councilman William H. Cole IV is seeking. City Council President Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake supports an inquiry.
Cole said the amount of the bill is "insulting to both city employees and to taxpayers," noting that layoffs and salary reductions for city workers might lie ahead. Baltimore is facing a $60 million budget shortfall.
"It costs me nearly $70.00 to fill the tank on my vehicle, and I don't drive a boat or a helicopter," Cole said in an e-mail message Thursday afternoon to Bealefeld and city leaders. "I find the $300 tab for Delegate Cardin's poor judgment to be an insult to my intelligence."
Cole said Bealefeld called him Thursday night to talk about the numbers.
The commissioner "believes this is the true cost," Cole said. "I don't know that I'm comfortable that's enough. It just doesn't feel like what was charged adequately captures the cost of an event like that."
The councilman said he'd like to see a breakdown in writing.
The marriage proposal took place Aug. 7 on a boat belonging to a Cardin friend. Neither police nor the lawmaker identified the owner. Marine unit officers boarded the boat and pretended to search it, finding the engagement ring. At that point, Cardin proposed, and his girlfriend, Megan Homer, accepted.
After the incident gained widespread attention about 10 days later, police launched an inquiry, and Cardin told Bealefeld that he would pay for the use of resources. He has apologized to Bealefeld, Mayor Sheila Dixon and the public, and has called the proposal stunt "one stupid act."
