Investigation Division

Col. William L. Rawlings, a highly decorated career police officer who rose from a beat cop to head the Baltimore Police Department's Internal Investigation Division, died Sunday at Gilchrist Center for Hospice Care. The 78-year-old Mays Chapel resident died of a head injury he suffered before his admission to the center. Colonel Rawlings was born in Baltimore and raised in South Baltimore.

Col. William L. Rawlings, a highly decorated career police officer who rose from a beat cop to head the Baltimore Police Department's Internal Investigation Division, died Sunday at Gilchrist Center for Hospice Care. The 78-year-old Mays Chapel resident died of a head injury he suffered before his admission to the center. Colonel Rawlings was born in Baltimore and raised in South Baltimore.

Hundreds of thousands of Marylanders will rush to mail their income tax return today to beat the midnight deadline. Others who owe taxes won't even bother filing. Failure to file a tax return when required is one of the four areas of fraud that the IRS Criminal Investigation Division is targeting in Maryland and across the country. The others: Abusive trusts set up in the United States and overseas to hide the ownership of assets and income or disguise the nature of financial transactions.

In Baltimore City Police official retires to take job in private industry Robert M. Stanton, chief of the Baltimore Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division, is leaving the force after 29 years to take a job in private industry, he said last night. "It's time," said Stanton, who is widely respected inside headquarters for his efforts to shape and focus investigative units in recent years. "Some offers were being made to try some other things. Some of these opportunities are only open for a short period of time."

A Baltimore narcotics detective is part-owner of a South Baltimore bar -- an arrangement police officials are investigating as a possible conflict of interest.City records show that the detective, Thomas B. Fore, purchased a 25 percent interest in the Ropewalk Inc. in November. That corporation's sole business is the Ropewalk Pub at 1209 S. Charles St.Fore had a small role in a recent drug investigation in South Baltimore that officials termed "major," though the area under investigation included the Ropewalk and the targets of the investigation included Ropewalk patrons, Baltimore police Lt. Thomas Grimes and Detective Sgt. Jim Cappuccino said.

Baltimore Police Commissioner Edward T. Norris shook up the highest ranks of his department yesterday, promoting 17 commanders and shifting two others to new jobs. Norris, who declined to be interviewed, issued a statement saying that he "periodically reviews the command structure, looks at the big picture - crime and other factors - and makes changes accordingly." The promotions will take effect in coming days, officials said. Col. John McEntee, who heads the patrol division, will become deputy commissioner of operations and will oversee the day-to-day running of the department's crime-fighting strategies.

County Executive Robert R. Neall began interviewing top police administrators this morning as the first step in choosing a successor to retiring Chief George W. Wellham III.Wellham, who started as a patrolman with the department 43 years ago, will retire this week, leaving Neall to choose at least an acting chief by Friday, said Tim Murnane, head of Neall's public safety committee for Neall's transition team."

City police are investigating a Southwest Baltimore auto dealer who allegedly operated a pawnbroker business that accepted cars as collateral for cash loans.An undercover police lieutenant from the Criminal Investigation Division yesterday went to Variety Auto Brokers Inc. in the 1800 block of S. Caton Ave. and seized records after agreeing to pawn his 1988 Mustang convertible for $3,000.Under the terms of the loan, the detective would have until the end of the month to pay a total of $3,600 -- a figure that includes $600 in interest -- or risk having the car sold to satisfy the loan.

Bandits struck 16 times in 72 hours over the weekend in the county, holding up two banks, seven individuals and seven businesses in what veteran robbery detectives say could be a record in that space of time."

Budget cuts that will leave the Baltimore County Police Department 122 officers short next month have prompted police officials to announce a major reorganization that will shift dozens of supervisors and administrators to patrol duties.The plan proposed by Chief Cornelius J. Behan was to be implemented in July, but will take effect Feb. 1 to cope with staff shortages caused by unfilled vacancies and the number of officers accepting a retirement incentive package announced last year by County Executive Roger B. Hayden.

Baltimore Police Commissioner Edward T. Norris shook up the highest ranks of his department yesterday, promoting 17 commanders and shifting two others to new jobs. Norris, who declined to be interviewed, issued a statement saying that he "periodically reviews the command structure, looks at the big picture - crime and other factors - and makes changes accordingly." The promotions will take effect in coming days, officials said. Col. John McEntee, who heads the patrol division, will become deputy commissioner of operations and will oversee the day-to-day running of the department's crime-fighting strategies.

Hundreds of thousands of Marylanders will rush to mail their income tax return today to beat the midnight deadline. Others who owe taxes won't even bother filing. Failure to file a tax return when required is one of the four areas of fraud that the IRS Criminal Investigation Division is targeting in Maryland and across the country. The others: Abusive trusts set up in the United States and overseas to hide the ownership of assets and income or disguise the nature of financial transactions.

Baltimore Police Commissioner Edward T. Norris has promoted two commanders to fill positions left open when he removed four high-ranking officers during a shake-up in May. Norris also promoted 27 other officers and moved several commanders to new jobs, police officials said. Norris "felt it was time to reshuffle the deck a bit," said Deputy Police Commissioner Bert F. Shirey. "He feels it's time to put some new managers in place." In the next week, Maj. Jeffrey S. Rosen, who headed the Southern District, and Lt. Col. Steven E. McMahon, who headed the Central District, will become night duty commanders.

A veteran Anne Arundel County police lieutenant was suspended from duty yesterday and accused of falsifying a prescription for Ritalin, the police department confirmed.Lt. Robert Tice, 44, a shift commander in the Northern District, was charged with two counts of prescription fraud after a pharmacist notified police Friday that Tice had altered his Ritalin prescription, according to police.Lt. Jeff Kelly, a police department spokesman, confirmed that a criminal summons was issued to Tice and that he was suspended -- with pay -- pending an internal investigation.

A veteran Anne Arundel County police lieutenant was suspended from duty yesterday and accused of falsifying a prescription for Ritalin, the Police Department confirmed.Lt. Robert Tice, 44, a shift commander in the Northern District, was charged with two counts of prescription fraud after a pharmacist notified police Friday that Tice had altered his Ritalin prescription, according to police.Lt. Jeff Kelly, a police department spokesman, confirmed that a criminal summons was issued to Tice and that he was suspended -- with pay -- pending an internal investigation.

Officer Richard Waybright was seen beating a handcuffed prisoner in a squad room booking area. Sgt. Lawrence Ames made offending comments about sex to a fingerprint technician in an evidence room. Lt. Timothy O'Connell was accused of failing to report a racial slur made by a subordinate.These are just three of the hundreds of disciplinary cases involving Baltimore police, examples of abuse no longer tolerated by a department forced to revamp its antiquated way of punishing the city's protectors.

Baltimore Police Commissioner Edward T. Norris has promoted two commanders to fill positions left open when he removed four high-ranking officers during a shake-up in May. Norris also promoted 27 other officers and moved several commanders to new jobs, police officials said. Norris "felt it was time to reshuffle the deck a bit," said Deputy Police Commissioner Bert F. Shirey. "He feels it's time to put some new managers in place." In the next week, Maj. Jeffrey S. Rosen, who headed the Southern District, and Lt. Col. Steven E. McMahon, who headed the Central District, will become night duty commanders.

Investigators from the Harford County Sheriff's Office and the state medical examiner met Friday to exchange information on the death of Nita Milak, the 16-year-old girl whose body was found Nov. 25 on a little-traveled road in Level, police said.Deputy DeWayne Curry, a sheriff's office spokesman, said the meeting in Baltimore was part of the investigation and that the medical examiner is not ready to release a final report.Deputy Curry said the medical examiner is awaiting information from the state police crime lab concerning evidence from the vehicle thought to have caused Nita's death.

Neighbors and acquaintances of John R. Sierra all seem to remember him the same way, although few really talked to him: He was a quiet family man who seemed preoccupied.Sierra, 39, of the 9800 block of Old Annapolis Road in Ellicott City was fatally shot about 1: 30 p.m. Tuesday in front of a liquor store after wielding a knife at Howard County Police Sgt. A. J. Bellido de Luna and refusing to comply with the officer's repeated orders to drop it.Bellido de Luna shot Sierra once in the chest from about 10 feet away, police said.

Baltimore police have begun a preliminary investigation into allegations that the police union president called a city councilwoman a vulgar term, raising questions about how much leeway an officer has in criticizing elected officials.Councilwoman Sheila Dixon, a 4th District Democrat, filed a complaint yesterday with the department's Internal Investigation Division (IID), which assigned an investigator to the case. Officials could decide the case has no merit and discard it or launch a formal investigation into the charges.