Baltimore Police Department

It seemed every seat was filled during the Baltimore Orioles' exciting playoff run last season except the one that belonged to Matt Hersl. Friends say the rangy, baldheaded Orioles regular never sat during games but ran around Camden Yards, laughing with season ticket holders, keeping an eye on the batter to make sure he had the best vantage point to snag an errant fly ball or a home run souvenir. Hersl was a vigilant "ballhawk," and brought the same sharp eye and enthusiasm to his Little Italy community, where he served as the neighborhood watch leader.

A Baltimore police sergeant found guilty of malfeasance for using false information to obtain a search and seizure warrant was sentenced Monday to three years of supervised probation, according to the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office. Sgt. Dennis W. Workley, who joined the force in 1996, also received a suspended one-year prison sentence from Circuit Court Judge John Addison Howard for the malfeasance charge, which he was convicted of in March. Workley was also convicted of perjury, for which he received probation before judgment Monday, the state's attorney's office said.

A31-year-old Baltimore Police officer was charged Friday with pimping out his wife after officers from a human trafficking task force found him outside a hotel room where the woman had agreed to have sex for cash with an undercover officer. The child recovery task force was working a proactive investigation into human trafficking when they came across a "young-looking female" advertised as an escort on a website, police said. Officers arranged to meet the female at a hotel near BWI airport, court records show.

Paul L. Ensor, a retired Baltimore County police officer, died Thursday from colon cancer at Sunflower Assisted-Living in Westminster. He was 95. The son of farmers, Paul LeRoy Ensor was born and raised in Sparks. He attended Baltimore County public schools. Mr. Ensor was working at Bendix Corp. when he joined the Baltimore County Police Department in 1952. He was assigned to the Garrison Precinct, where he drove the patrol wagon, family members said. He retired in 1975. The longtime Owings Mills resident, who had lived in Upperco for the last 22 years, enjoyed fishing, crabbing and gardening.

A Baltimore police sergeant found guilty of malfeasance for using false information to obtain a search and seizure warrant was sentenced Monday to three years of supervised probation, according to the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office. Sgt. Dennis W. Workley, who joined the force in 1996, also received a suspended one-year prison sentence from Circuit Court Judge John Addison Howard for the malfeasance charge, which he was convicted of in March. Workley was also convicted of perjury, for which he received probation before judgment Monday, the state's attorney's office said.

The Baltimore Police Department tapped one of its lawyers as the new head of internal affairs, saying Rodney Hill's experience as an officer and his recent turn as a prosecutor of police misconduct cases give him the credibility to lead a group charged with restoring public trust. Hill, 50, replaces Grayling Williams, who left in March to accept a position with the Pennsylvania attorney general's office. Since April 2012, Hill has been assigned to the Police Department through the city's Law Department, providing legal advice to internal investigators, prosecuting police officers at internal disciplinary hearing boards and representing the department in court.

It takes incredible courage for a victim of domestic violence to apply for a protective order. Victims must make their way to the courthouse, often while they are still experiencing the effects of their abuse. At the courthouse, they must write a description of how they were abused, and then describe their abuse again to a judge, often in front of a courtroom filled with strangers. If the judge determines that there has been abuse, the judge will issue a temporary protective order that must be served by a law enforcement officer on the alleged abuser.

Officer William Torbit was apparently killed by shots fired from fellow Baltimore City police officers outside a Baltimore nightclub ( "Pair say police shot officer," Jan. 11). These are truly trying times for the police department. It will be incumbent on Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III to keep morale intact. A glaring mistake in judgment was made, but that does not mean the department can take a few days off. Such is the demanding life of public servants. After Officer Torbit is laid to rest with a fitting ceremony, the Baltimore City police have to strike this accident from their collective memory and forge ahead.

Baltimore police said they were aware of no problems connected to early St. Patrick's Day celebrations Friday night, as they brace for a weekend of boozy revelry once bars open today. The department announced plans to flood bar districts with officers and will have help from state police forces too. They are hoping to avoid a repeat of last year, which saw Canton Square trashed by drinkers and a large group of teenagers fighting downtown. So far, though, things are quiet, according to police, and this evening additional officers will be patrolling the Inner Harbor, Fells Point, Canton and Federal Hill.

James D.M. Muldowney, a retired police officer who had been assigned to the Baltimore Police Department canine unit for nearly 30 years, died Tuesday of complications from Alzheimer's disease at Nichols Senior Care in Edgewood. The former longtime Overlea resident was 68. Mr. Muldowney was born and raised in Heckscherville, Pa., and served in the Navy from 1957 to 1961 as an underwater demolitions expert at the naval base in Little Creek, Va. After his discharge from the Navy, Mr.

A31-year-old Baltimore Police officer was charged Friday with pimping out his wife after officers from a human trafficking task force found him outside a hotel room where the woman had agreed to have sex for cash with an undercover officer. The child recovery task force was working a proactive investigation into human trafficking when they came across a "young-looking female" advertised as an escort on a website, police said. Officers arranged to meet the female at a hotel near BWI airport, court records show.

It takes incredible courage for a victim of domestic violence to apply for a protective order. Victims must make their way to the courthouse, often while they are still experiencing the effects of their abuse. At the courthouse, they must write a description of how they were abused, and then describe their abuse again to a judge, often in front of a courtroom filled with strangers. If the judge determines that there has been abuse, the judge will issue a temporary protective order that must be served by a law enforcement officer on the alleged abuser.

The Baltimore Police Department tapped one of its lawyers as the new head of internal affairs, saying Rodney Hill's experience as an officer and his recent turn as a prosecutor of police misconduct cases give him the credibility to lead a group charged with restoring public trust. Hill, 50, replaces Grayling Williams, who left in March to accept a position with the Pennsylvania attorney general's office. Since April 2012, Hill has been assigned to the Police Department through the city's Law Department, providing legal advice to internal investigators, prosecuting police officers at internal disciplinary hearing boards and representing the department in court.

On a recent Friday night in the Baltimore Police Department's high-tech Watch Center, an urgent but vague tip came in — a murder witness was in danger. The tipster had overheard a conversation but knew only the nickname of the witness and had a hunch about the name of the street where the killing had taken place. Could police figure out the witness's identity and get to him before those who wanted to harm him? The Watch Center is a nerve center built on the ninth floor of police headquarters after the terrorist attacks of Sept.

Really, Mr. Conaway! In his defense of dirt bike riders ("Don't penalize city kids for riding dirt bikes," April 25), Baltimore Circuit Court Clerk Frank M. Conaway Sr. places blame for this problem on the Baltimore Police Department and their vendetta against black youth. The inner city is rife with Mr. Conaway calls a "nuisance" while Baltimore drivers see it as a clear and present danger. I have slammed on my brakes numerous times and swerved into other lanes trying to avoid a collision.

Baltimore's spending panel on Wednesday unanimously approved $285,000 for city police to hire a Massachusetts-based consultant — the highest of five bidders — to recommend how the department should be run. Despite the protests of competing consultants and a city councilman, the city's Board of Estimates, which is controlled by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, voted 5-0 to hire Strategic Policy Partnership LLC, based in Martha's Vineyard, to...

The Baltimore Police Department is asking the city for $285,000 to hire a Massachusetts-based consultant — the highest of five bidders — to recommend how the department should be run. But a city councilman is questioning the need for a consultant. And he says he's concerned that the department is bypassing lower bidders for a company with ties to former Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton, an ally of Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts. "In these tough economic times, we have to think about saving taxpayer dollars," said Councilman Brandon Scott, who has called for a hearing on the contract.

Though they aren't trumpeting it, the Baltimore Police Department's homicide unit has made several recent arrests in killings dating back to last year.  Police spokespeople said they did not know the motives behind the crimes. The arrests are a boost to a unit whose work was questioned just last week at a hearing at City Hall. As of today, the homicide unit's clearance rate is 53 percent.  -The oldest case involves the killing of Justin Marasa, a 22-year-old from Kenya found shot in a vehicle April 8, 2012 in the 1400 block of Holbrook St. Police said William Hunt, 29, has been indicted on murder charges in the killing.  -Garrick Powell Jr., 20, of Gwynn Oak, has been charged with the killing of 21-year-old John Planters, who was found in a grassy lot in the 2200 block of Annapolis Road on Oct. 25, 2012.

The Baltimore Police Department is asking the city for $285,000 to hire a Massachusetts-based consultant — the highest of five bidders — to recommend how the department should be run. But a city councilman is questioning the need for a consultant. And he says he's concerned that the department is bypassing lower bidders for a company with ties to former Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton, an ally of Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts. "In these tough economic times, we have to think about saving taxpayer dollars," said Councilman Brandon Scott, who has called for a hearing on the contract.

It seemed every seat was filled during the Baltimore Orioles' exciting playoff run last season except the one that belonged to Matt Hersl. Friends say the rangy, baldheaded Orioles regular never sat during games but ran around Camden Yards, laughing with season ticket holders, keeping an eye on the batter to make sure he had the best vantage point to snag an errant fly ball or a home run souvenir. Hersl was a vigilant "ballhawk," and brought the same sharp eye and enthusiasm to his Little Italy community, where he served as the neighborhood watch leader.