Cruisers

Long before the metal gates of the shops clank open or the animals stir at the pet store, as many as 60 senior citizens are walking laps around Cranberry Mall.Many of them have walked the mall for years -- five years, 10 years, even more.It is the place where weather conditions don't matter, where the walking surface is predictable and level.Sometimes they are there on doctor's orders; other times they come for the company -- and also to enjoy the coffee they've "earned" after walking 45 minutes or more.

Howard County police Sgt. David J. Trapani was cruising through a parking lot when he spotted license tags dangling suspiciously from an old yellow car.The police radio was flooded with calls, a situation that often prevents officers from checking with dispatchers about stolen plates. But this time, Trapani typed the numbers into a computer in his patrol car and watched as information scrolled down the screen: The tags were stolen.He arrested the car's owner."It would have been impossible and very selfish to run the computer work over the radio," said Trapani, who has been testing a Datalux Corp.

Howard County police Sgt. David J. Trapani was cruising through a parking lot when he spotted license tags dangling suspiciously from an old yellow car.The police radio was flooded with calls, a situation that often prevents officers from checking with dispatchers about stolen plates. But this time, Trapani typed the numbers into a computer in his patrol car and watched as information scrolled down the screen: The tags were stolen.He arrested the car's owner."It would have been impossible and very selfish to run the computer work over the radio," said Trapani, who has been testing a Datalux Corp.

An Eastpoint man sideswiped a police car and then led a parade of county and state police cruisers on a 20-minute chase yesterday that ended with his arrest and the arrest of a second suspect.The 22-year-old driver, whose name was withheld pending charges this morning, hit a Baltimore County police car on Holabird Avenue about 2:30 p.m. Trailed by several Baltimore County police cars, he drove through Dundalk, into the city and then took Eastern Avenue to Interstate 695, where he was JTC pursued by a dozen cruisers according to county police spokesman Bill Toohey.

Five Howard County off-duty police officers were on special assignment yesterday afternoon as they rode their squad cars through the Columbia village of River Hill: Door-dropping campaign literature for their former police chief, Democratic county executive candidate James N. Robey.It was the first day of a weeklong volunteer effort by more than two dozen police officers, working for a candidate who has promised to increase their salaries. Within a few hours, though, Chief Wayne Livesay ordered the cruisers off the campaign trail after he was alerted to the activity.

Baltimore police call it a Signal 13, an officer's urgent call for help. But twice in the past five weeks, someone has died as a result of officers speeding to the assistance of a colleague.Both accidents -- which killed a city officer on Oct. 30 and a pedestrian Monday night -- remain under investigation. The deadly crashes highlight the danger of police cruisers speeding on crowded city streets.The number of accidents involving cruisers has dropped significantly since 1995, when 554 were reported, 186 being listed as the officer's fault.

Like most people, Mark Carter doesn't like getting pulled over by police. So he was not exactly happy when he got caught speeding down Russell Street, clocked at 22 mph over the 35-mph limit.But Carter and his red Buick are now part of Baltimore history. At 11: 34 a.m. Friday, the 45-year-old Northeast Baltimore man became the first person stopped by a city officer driving a new, sporty Ford Mustang dressed up as a cruiser."I just put a down payment on a Mustang myself," a bemused Carter told Officer Brian S. Weber, who let him off with a warning.

So many things are crucial to the intensely ordered life of an Orthodox Jew: a synagogue within walking distance of home, a trustworthy rabbi, and schools to teach the galaxy of nuance inherent in Judaism's 613 separate commandments.The outside world rarely gets to see the striped shawls and tiny boxes filled with sacred Scripture worn by religious Jews at daily prayer. But the next time you're cruising the streets of Northwest Baltimore, be alert for an obvious sign of the Orthodox way of life -- the faded and rusting full-sized American station wagon.

THE 10TH annual Orioles Caribbean Cruise, which, FYI, is the only major league team sponsored cruise still in existence, departs tomorrow morning from Fort Lauderdale. Ken Nigro, who handles the arrangements for the cruise, called from Florida to tell me that Baltimore's weather conditions made Nervous Nellies out of 47 of his Maryland cruisers.So much so, that they bugged the Cruise Lady, Mary Eve Kress, until she leased a bus. They left yesterday and are scheduled to arrive in Fort Lauderdale tonight, where they will have a gala pre-cruise dinner before boarding the Sun Princess tomorrow for a weeklong cruise.

Destination-intensive cruises are just one of many different theme excursions that the cruise industry has created to lure more passengers.Other theme trips include cruises for gourmet cooks, country and western music lovers, dieters, wine tasters, gardeners and investors. There are even ones for chocoholics.All have been designed to appeal to vacationers seeking "enrichment," in one form or another.According to the Cruise Lines International Association, the industry's trade and marketing association, 64 percent of the passengers polled in a recent survey said they want their trips to be learning experiences.

Howard County's police chief said Tuesday that an internal investigation into a brutality accusation in the arrest of a man who led officers on a highway chase last year has been completed and resulted in disciplinary action and retraining. Chief William McMahon said the internal affairs investigation into the Nov. 20 arrest of Jessup resident Stephen Zombro is closed. The chief declined to discuss details of the findings or the disciplinary actions taken, citing department policy on confidentiality of personnel matters.

State police said yesterday that they expect to bring multiple charges against a New Jersey woman after a 10-mile pursuit through Delaware and Maryland on Tuesday that left a trooper hospitalized and five cruisers damaged, police said. The suspect, a 52-year-old woman whom police did not identify, allegedly drove through the scene of an accident in Delaware and then through a closed toll lane, launching a chase down Interstate 95 that ended in Havre de Grace about noon on Tuesday, police said.

Authorities said it could take days for investigators to determine how two police cruisers collided in a thunderous crash in Southwest Baltimore early yesterday, claiming the life of a veteran officer and injuring another. The overnight accident just one block from the Southwestern District station house rattled a neighborhood accustomed to seeing cruisers traversing its residential streets, and heaved the city Police Department into mourning. "I was sleeping, then I heard what sounded like an explosion," said Gabrielle Baboolal, whose house is 50 feet from Stafford Street and Parksley Avenue, where the cruisers hit. "The police people - they were crying," he said.

The good guys in the old movie westerns always wore white, but Howard County's police officers are trading their white patrol cars for black. They'll join several other police agencies opting for cruisers with darker hues. In recent years, Maryland State Police returned to black and olive green cruisers, and Maryland Transportation Authority Police went to black. Anne Arundel is converting its fleet to cars with dark blue sides and lighter blue tops. "Black gives a more professional look to the patrol cars.

Cruisers, by Craig Nova. Shaye Areheart Crown Books. 256 pages. $24. There is an hour -- deep into the night -- when cruising alone on an open stretch of highway can be harrowing. It is that time when oncoming headlights have a ghostly glow, and the dark silhouette of trees appears threatening. It is that time when you step on the gas and keep driving, hoping that you make it home before the highway and the night sky swallow you in blackness. In Cruisers, novelist Craig Nova takes readers on a spine-chilling journey reminiscent of a lone night on the open road.

Ahoy, mate! The Washington Boat Show takes over the Washington Convention Center today through Monday. And we do mean "takes over." As in 7 acres of display areas filled with 500 boats. It's no wonder it's the largest indoor boat show on the East Coast. Visitors can see the newest models, including motor yachts, power catamarans, express cruisers, fishing boats, runabouts, sailboats and boats for water-skiing. More than 200 exhibitor booths offer boating accessories and gadgets, equipment, electronics, nautical clothing and more.

Baltimore police have new leadership, new uniforms and new strategies to combat crime. Now they are about to embark on their boldest cosmetic change in three decades: a new color scheme for their police cruisers. The white Ford Crown Victorias and Chevrolet Caprices -- emblazoned with a blue and gray horizontal stripe -- could soon become black, with "POLICE" written in large yellow-trimmed white letters up the side, complemented by a blue stripe the length of the car and a large badge.

Lauded by police departments statewide as an effective crime-fighting tool, the idea of allowing officers to take home their cruisers has been greeted with skepticism by some Baltimore County officials and a go-slow warning from a local NAACP official, who fears it would promote harassment of minorities. Similar programs have been established in every other major suburban Maryland jurisdiction, and they are regarded by many police officials as extensions of community-policing efforts that have helped reduce crime.

Lauded by police departments statewide as an effective crime-fighting tool, the idea of allowing officers to take home their cruisers has been greeted with skepticism by some Baltimore County officials and a go-slow warning from a local NAACP official, who fears it would promote harassment of minorities. Similar programs have been established in every other major suburban Maryland jurisdiction, and they are regarded by many police officials as extensions of community-policing efforts that have helped reduce crime.

Baltimore police officials said last night that they cannot support a proposed City Council bill that would restrict how fast officers could drive when responding to emergencies, saying it might prevent them from getting help quickly to people in need. But department commanders, who testified at a hearing last night, acknowledged that there is a problem and said it is being addressed through increased training and enforcement. "This isn't a problem that is unique to Baltimore," said Maj. Stanford O. Franklin, who commands the department's Education and Training Division.