Major Crimes

Manchester Police Chief Donald Myers said major crimes decreased in almost every category in 1994.He said there were no homicides, rapes or robberies last year or in 1993 in the town, where the local police force is augmented by state police.Chief Myers said in each of the past two years, there were eight breaking and entering reports and one auto theft.He said there were 10 cases of aggravated assault last year, down by four from 1993, and 51 thefts, down by eight from the previous year.

The proposed 33-unit Single Room Occupancy apartment facility for the county's homeless in North Laurel is not the answer for Howard County. This portion of Laurel has undergone a gradual revitalization over the years, including new businesses and homes peppering the once-questionable area. My family had plans to purchase a property in this area; however, now that Mr. Ulman has decided to place a Single Room Occupancy facility in what would be our new neighborhood, we no longer feel safe moving there.

The Baltimore County Police Department will beef up its LTC patrol division to combat last year's 4.6 percent increase in street robberies, auto thefts and other major crimes."

Mingled throughout the thousands of visitors who flocked to the city this past weekend for the Star-Spangled Sailabration's ships, cannons and jet fly-bys was a small army of police officers and emergency responders. Other local, state and federal law enforcement officials constantly monitored the crowds from command stations downtown, via live camera feeds. Partly as a result, the event celebrating the bicentennial of the War of 1812, estimated to have attracted hundreds of thousands of people to the city, had largely come off without a hitch as of Sunday night, police said - unspoiled by the sort of violence that has marred other large events in recent years.

Homicides in Baltimore County fell to a 19-year low last year, and crime in every other category also dropped significantly, police said yesterday. It was the third consecutive year that crime has declined in the county. Violent crime -- a category that includes homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault -- dropped by 16.3 percent in 1998 compared to 1997, according to police statistics. Overall, crime declined by 7.6 percent. No single reason emerges for the decrease, which mirrors a national trend.

Major crime in Annapolis declined 8 percent in the first six months of the year compared with the same period last year.Figures released by the Annapolis Police Department yesterday showed that crime was down in every category in the first half of the year, while the percentage of crimes solved was up.Capt. Cassin Gittings attributed to the decline in crime to a number of factors, including severe weather, increased police vigilance and greater community involvement.The calls for service were up 11 percent in the first six months of 1994 compared with the same time in 1993, indicating that residents are becoming more involved in fighting crime, he said.

Violent crime fell by nearly 10 percent in Baltimore in the first nine months of this year, the first significant decrease since the introduction of crack cocaine in 1986 triggered sharp increases in murders, shootings and robberies.Statistics released yesterday by the Baltimore Police Department showed that crime decreased in almost every category except homicide, which increased by 8 percent, and auto theft, which rose 2 percent. The largest decrease was seen in aggravated assaults, including shootings, which dropped by 12.6 percent, followed by robberies and burglaries, which both fell by about 8 percent.

Recently, a court case was filed in Maryland District Court challenging the "good and substantial" clause of the Maryland Concealed Carry Permit application requirement. This requirement directly conflicts with the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution, in that it greatly prohibits an individual their God given and inalienable "right to bear arms". This clause is predicated on the State of Maryland's interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, particularly the Bill of Rights, and whether or not those rights transfer from the federal to state governments under the Fourteenth Amendment.

In an effort to free Baltimore police officers to focus on more serious crime, city liquor inspectors are playing a greater role in enforcing adult entertainment laws. This week, liquor inspectors cited two bars on The Block during the first of several planned undercover operations designed to halt illegal sexual conduct. Enforcement of those laws traditionally has been the responsibility of the Police Department's vice squad, but officers often have to focus on other more serious crimes, said Samuel T. Daniels Jr., chief inspector for the Board of Liquor License Commissioners.

The proposed 33-unit Single Room Occupancy apartment facility for the county's homeless in North Laurel is not the answer for Howard County. This portion of Laurel has undergone a gradual revitalization over the years, including new businesses and homes peppering the once-questionable area. My family had plans to purchase a property in this area; however, now that Mr. Ulman has decided to place a Single Room Occupancy facility in what would be our new neighborhood, we no longer feel safe moving there.

Recently, a court case was filed in Maryland District Court challenging the "good and substantial" clause of the Maryland Concealed Carry Permit application requirement. This requirement directly conflicts with the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution, in that it greatly prohibits an individual their God given and inalienable "right to bear arms". This clause is predicated on the State of Maryland's interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, particularly the Bill of Rights, and whether or not those rights transfer from the federal to state governments under the Fourteenth Amendment.

Maryland's top federal prosecutor is both expanding his office and reorganizing his staff to emphasize a commitment to fighting violent crime. Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said he would start this month by restructuring his criminal division. It's part of an effort, he said, to coordinate better with local and federal law enforcement agents. "I had a meeting with the FBI's public corruption unit, and there was a real question of where that responsibility lay in our office," Rosenstein said.

In an effort to free Baltimore police officers to focus on more serious crime, city liquor inspectors are playing a greater role in enforcing adult entertainment laws. This week, liquor inspectors cited two bars on The Block during the first of several planned undercover operations designed to halt illegal sexual conduct. Enforcement of those laws traditionally has been the responsibility of the Police Department's vice squad, but officers often have to focus on other more serious crimes, said Samuel T. Daniels Jr., chief inspector for the Board of Liquor License Commissioners.

Homicides in Baltimore County fell to a 19-year low last year, and crime in every other category also dropped significantly, police said yesterday. It was the third consecutive year that crime has declined in the county. Violent crime -- a category that includes homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault -- dropped by 16.3 percent in 1998 compared to 1997, according to police statistics. Overall, crime declined by 7.6 percent. No single reason emerges for the decrease, which mirrors a national trend.

DEAR READERS, we are going to start this morning with a short pop quiz.Don't groan. It's easy if you have been keeping up with the news. Besides, it will be a true-false test, which means you have a 50 percent change of getting the right answer even if you guess.Here we go:1) When compared to last year, the county's crime rate is much greater. True or false?2) Juvenile crime has been climbing.3) In the past eight months, 15 murders have occurred in the county.4) Cars are being stolen here at the rate of six a day.The answers to questions 1-4: All false.

Three men pleaded guilty Friday to second-degree rape of two runaway girls, 11 and 13, who had hidden in the Pasadena home of one of the men.Anne Arundel County Circuit Judge Ronald A. Silkworth set sentencing for Sept. 26.Justin A. Wagner, 20, of the 1100 block of Wilson Road in Glen Burnie pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree rape.William J. Young, 19, of the 1200 block of Wilson Road in Glen Burnie and John W. Persinger II, 20, of the 7700 block of Fox Court in Pasadena each pleaded guilty to one count.

A furnace malfunction apparently caused a one-alarm fire that gutteda home in this South Carroll community Tuesday afternoon.No one was injured in the blaze on Gibbons Road, said Richard Lyons, chief of the Sykesville-Freedom District Fire Department. Six units from Sykesville, Gamber, Winfield and Reese responded.Lyons said the fire in the wood-frame house was knocked down in about 10 minutes, but firefighters spent the better part of an hour cooling "hot spots."He said it was not clear whether the problem was a back-fire or some other mechanical failure.

Richard C. Lewis, an inmate at the Anne Arundel County Detention Center, was convicted last week of mayhem for jamming a broomstick into the left eye of a fellow prisoner in an argument over cupcakes.Two weeks ago, Michael Q. Brown allegedly hit another inmate with a combination lock he put in a sock. The inmate required reconstructive surgery for a shattered eye socket and jaw. Brown was charged this week with battery.Detention Center officials say these are extreme examples of the types of assaults that occur regularly at the overcrowded facility on Jennifer Road because they have little room to separate the most violent inmates from the general prison population.

Violent crime fell by nearly 10 percent in Baltimore in the first nine months of this year, the first significant decrease since the introduction of crack cocaine in 1986 triggered sharp increases in murders, shootings and robberies.Statistics released yesterday by the Baltimore Police Department showed that crime decreased in almost every category except homicide, which increased by 8 percent, and auto theft, which rose 2 percent. The largest decrease was seen in aggravated assaults, including shootings, which dropped by 12.6 percent, followed by robberies and burglaries, which both fell by about 8 percent.

MEXICO CITY -- Minerva Guadalupe Ramirez was getting into her car after a quick stop in a posh suburb here when a gunman stuck a pistol to her head. He stole the 19-year-old woman's cash, purse and jewelry, then commandeered her 1993 Ford Topaz.He sped off, never noticing that her son, Tomas, was inside. The 8-month-old child and the car are still missing.On the same morning, three men robbed the Mexican Red Cross Hospital on the city's northwest side. They burst in and fatally shot Jeronimo Rivera, a policeman who had been assigned to guard the charity hospital after a burglary.