District Commanders

Baltimore police officials have a request for Fells Point merchants: Talk to us. The department wants ideas on how to manage big crowds in the nightlife district on Halloween, St. Patrick's Day and other major party occasions without resorting to street closings and parking bans. Maj. Jack Long of the Southeastern District extended the invitation after he angered business owners by not telling them he was limiting traffic and parking New Year's Eve. Long said his goal was to keep a clear path for police cars and ambulances after Halloween partying turned chaotic.

Police have taken a new step in their the battle to remove illegal dirt bikes and their freewheeling riders from the streets of Baltimore, creating an email address where residents can report the bikes anonymously. "All the way around, it's a menace, and we have to take some action," said Maj. Johnny Delgado, the commander of the Northwestern District, who launched the initiative. Riding dirt bikes in the city limits is against the law, as is storing them in a house or a shed with gasoline, police said.

Just three days after being touted as the commander who would oversee reforms in the wake of a training shooting, the new head of the Baltimore Police academy informed top brass Friday that he intends to leave the agency. Maj. Joseph E. Smith III, a 25-year veteran, told the police commissioner that he planned to retire from the department and take an outside job, according to a police spokesman. Smith could not be reached for comment. "He said it was too big of an opportunity to pass up," said chief spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.

Bernard "Bernie" Harper, a retired decorated Baltimore Police Department major who had commanded the Northwestern District, died Saturday of cancer at his Northeast Baltimore home. He was 73. "I always considered Bernie as one of my outstanding commanders in the department. He was well-respected by all under his command and by community groups, who said many complimentary things about him," said Edward V. Woods, who served as Baltimore police commissioner from 1989 to 1993.

John Lloyd Bergbower, a Johns Hopkins Medicine security vice president who as a city police commander battled drug buyers in Southwest Baltimore, suffered a fall at his North Baltimore home Sunday and died later that day at Sinai Hospital. He was 60. "He didn't need to run into a burning building or take on an armed gunman to know that John Bergbower was a courageous man," said Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III, who served under him in the Southwestern District nearly 15 years ago. "He was a very smart, capable person with an air of confidence about him that made an impression on a young sergeant like myself.

David Simon's article "No Apologies for 'The Wire,'" (Jan. 24) is right on point. As a former Baltimore police officer for 11 years, I can attest to the fact that much of what appears in the HBO series "The Wire" is a very accurate depiction of reality both on the street and within the Baltimore Police Department. The practice of downgrading major crime statistics for the purpose of showing a decrease in crime goes back to the 1970s and has come under fire numerous times over the years.

KEVIN CLARK, the commissioner of Charm City's Police Department, continues his lessons in "Baltimoreans 101." What he's learned lately is that Baltimore folks are a churlish lot when we think we've been dissed. Wayne Kraft, Darlene Stauch and Melissa Techentin consider themselves three of the dissees. They met recently at a Highlandtown restaurant, only days after a Sun article appeared about poor morale in the Police Department, a state of affairs some attribute to Clark's leadership.

For four hours today, the doors to the city's nine police stations will swing open to the public as officers try to strengthen ties with the community and ask for more volunteer help.From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., residents can meet their district commanders, learn about block watch programs and find out how they can help by reporting crime, cleaning streets or volunteering at Police Athletic League centers.The department placed advertisements in newspapers asking citizens to join the "Blue Crew," an "umbrella for everyone who works in partnership with the Police Department to raise the quality of life in Baltimore City," Maj. Alvin Winkler said.

Baltimore Police Department is ordering majors to pick up patrol shifts on the street to ensure that high-ranking department personnel are available 24 hours a day to respond to significant crimes.The first patrol started last night when Maj. Michael Bass climbed into a marked patrol car. Twenty-eight majors will rotate through eight-hour shifts, which will involve reponding to crimes and inspecting district stations.Col. Bert Shirey, acting police commissioner, said it will ensure that a major is available to respond to incidents and that officers are doing their jobs properly.

The commander of the Baltimore Police Department's Southeastern District was suspended Wednesday, pending a review into a personnel matter, according to chief police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. Maj. Roger Bergeron was stripped of his police powers and ordered home without pay, the spokesman said. He has commanded the district since Feb. 1, 2007, and has been a member of the police force since March 1991. The Southeastern District includes Fells Point, Little Italy, Patterson Park and Canton.