Officers

A 23-year-old Owings Mills man stabbed his father multiple times during a fight in the family's home on Friday evening, according to Baltimore County police. When officers arrived at the home in the unit block of Melissa Court in Owings Mills shortly after 6:30 p.m., they found the father, who is in his mid-50s, with multiple stab wounds and the son subdued, said Det. Cathy Batton, a police spokeswoman. "I don't believe the fight was going on when (officers) arrived," Batton said.

The report from the State Department was brief: Thomas M. Jennings Jr., a federal worker from Burtonsville on a temporary assignment with NATO peacekeepers, had died in a car crash in Southern Bosnia. Fifteen years later, it turns out that was only part of the story. Unknown to neighbors and friends, Jennings was working for the CIA, the agency acknowledged last week. A veteran covert officer — he told acquaintances he worked for the State Department — he volunteered to go to Sarajevo after the Bosnian war as a U.S.-led force worked to maintain peace.

It's no secret that Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld IIIis a frequent diner at Miss Shirley's, a breakfast, brunch and lunch spot with locations in Roland Park and at the Inner Harbor. He's partial to the omelet margharita. So it should be no surprise that the soon-to-be retiring chief headed for the Pratt Street bistro Wednesday morning to catch a quick breakfast. There, according to a police source, he stumbled on two city officers drinking alcohol. They had just come off the midnight shift and were off duty, but were either dressed in partial uniform or had their guns and badges displayed, said the police source and another person affiliated with law enforcement who is familiar with the incident.

The motorist who slammed into the back of a Baltimore police car that struck an officer and sent her plunging over the side of elevated Interstate 83 has been convicted of three traffic offenses, closing one chapter of a horrific crash that has ended the officer's career. A District judge fined Robert R. Vanderford $260, assessed three points against his license, ordered him to perform 250 hours of community service at a city police station, and, upon the insistence of the victim, ordered him to spend two days in the city jail.

[This post has been updated. The original version remains intact below] A 22-year-old woman was killed and her infant daughter injured Monday night after a man eluding city police ran a red light and plowed into her vehicle in West Baltimore, authorities said. The accident occurred two weeks before Jordasha Rollins was to celebrate her daughter's first birthday, and, in a twist of fate, she knew the driver of the vehicle that took her life. But as family and friends hung balloons and flowers Tuesday at the site where the accident occurred, their anger was not directed at the driver but at police.

With cannon booms, a drum roll and the Navy at the ready, the state unveiled its plans Thursday to celebrate the bicentennial of the War of 1812, a series of events designed to showcase Maryland's role in the conflict. The Pride of Baltimore II, numerous Navy vessels, the Coast Guard's Eagle and at least 10 other tall ships, many from foreign shores, will berth at the Inner Harbor in June to launch the commemoration. Organizers expect about 1 million people to attend the weeklong event.

The Howard County Police Department has formed a new youth mentoring program to help curb the county's continuing problem with juvenile crime.The program, Cops As Peers (CAP), pairs volunteer police officers with youths in need of positive role models. Many of the children are identified by teachers or by officers during their trips through neighborhoods, said Sgt. Rick Maltz, a coordinator of the program."We're trying to make a difference in tomorrow one day at a time," Sergeant Maltz said.

Baltimore Police say up to 50,000 people have shown up at Pimlico for the Preakness Stakes. The department expects about 112,000 people to come to the event by the time this evening's big race has been run. If the race hits that mark, it would be one of the biggest crowds on record -- last year's attendance was reported at about 107,398, the sixth-largest of all time. The race has been recovering from a decline in attendance when race organizers decided in 2009 to eliminate the B.Y.O.B.

The Harford County Chamber of Commerce recently elected its officers for 2011-12. Steven L. Wiseman, a certified public accountant and vice president of Wiseman Associates, is chairman; Robin Sommer, owner of Images of Sommer, is chair-elect; Brenda Morrison, vice president for marketing, development and community relations at Harford Community College is vice chair of administration; and Paul Balsamo, a certified public accountant and president of...

To compensate for the arrest or suspension of more than two dozen officers in an alleged towing company scam, Baltimore Police will pull uniformed officers away from an initiative that contributed to a profound reduction in violent crime in the Southeastern District. A team of mostly rookies hired with stimulus funds last year, which had been used for foot patrols in areas including downtown and a high-crime corridor in the Southeast, will be reassigned to squad cars in the Northeast, where a large number of the implicated city police officers worked.

It's no secret that Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld IIIis a frequent diner at Miss Shirley's, a breakfast, brunch and lunch spot with locations in Roland Park and at the Inner Harbor. He's partial to the omelet margharita. So it should be no surprise that the soon-to-be retiring chief headed for the Pratt Street bistro Wednesday morning to catch a quick breakfast. There, according to a police source, he stumbled on two city officers drinking alcohol. They had just come off the midnight shift and were off duty, but were either dressed in partial uniform or had their guns and badges displayed, said the police source and another person affiliated with law enforcement who is familiar with the incident.

The cops surely picked the wrong place to drink after work -- their chief's favorite morning hangout, Miss Shirley's, especially since they were in partial police uniform. But here's the other question this raises -- what were they drinking? The upscale eatery with locations in Roland Park and at the Inner Harbor doesn't have beer on the menu. Now, cops aren't limited to beer, but still, some of these drinks come with umbrellas. The “Wet your whistle” page offers the $5.99 Miss Mimosa - the classic champagne and fresh-squeezed orange juice, garnished with pulp, and a $7.99 Spicy Shirely, a Bloody Mary with pickled okra, Jalapenos and lump crab.

Alexander Ludlum "Lud" Michaux Jr., a decorated career Marine Corps officer who fought in three wars and later presided over the transformation of McDonogh School into a coeducational institution, died May 20 of heart failure at Brightview Mays Chapel retirement community. Colonel Michaux, who formerly lived in Rodgers Forge, was 90. Born in Richmond, Va., Colonel Michaux was descended from French Huguenots who had settled in Powhatan County, Va., on a land grant from King William III of England in 1700.

A Baltimore police sergeant who claimed he was never treated for post-traumatic stress disorder after he fatally shot a man in 2005 has settled a lawsuit against the city, in a deal that allows him to retire with his pension, according to court documents and his attorney. Under terms of the settlement, Richard A. Willard, 45, dropped the federal suit and a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; the Police Department canceled an administrative hearing that could have led to his termination.

A 31-year-old Baltimore County man has been arrested on charges of impersonating a police officer in St. Mary's County, and police are investigating whether he may have committed similar offenses closer to his home. Donald James Church Jr. was arrested May 15 at his home on Sollers Point Road in Dundalk, where police found "police paraphernalia including a badge, a realistic-looking toy gun, and imitation police reports that he had written," according to a statement released by Baltimore County police.

A city police officer was taken to Mercy Medical Center after his police cruiser was rear-ended by another vehicle on the southbound Jones Falls Expressway late Monday afternoon, according to a police spokesman. The officer was on the side of the roadway near West 29th Street writing a report on a separate accident when his cruiser was struck, said Sgt. Anthony Smith. The officer did not have apparent injuries, but was taken to the hospital to be checked by medical personnel as a precaution, Smith said.

A man pulled over on Interstate 95 early Tuesday morning was able to flee in a Baltimore County police cruiser before being fatally shot by officers just inside the city line, officials said. Police have identified the man as Monpreet Chona, 26, of Halethorpe. It remained unclear how the officer surrendered the patrol car, with county police saying that aspect remains under investigation. City police, who are investigating the shooting because of where it took place, said no guns were recovered from the suspect or his vehicles.

The first of 17 Baltimore police officers charged with extortion in what prosecutors describe as a scheme involving kickbacks to send drivers to a towing company not licensed by the city pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday. Officer David Reeping, 41, of Arbutus, could receive up to 20 years in prison for directing unsuspecting motorists to use Majestic Towing in Rosedale to tow vehicles from accident scenes and make repairs, according to the Maryland U.S. attorney's office.

The Baltimore police officer who was thrown over the side of Interstate 83 and fell 20 feet after a car crashed into her vehicle as she helped a stranded motorist has filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the driver and the owner of the vehicle. The driver, 23-year-old Robert R. Vanderford, is scheduled to appear in District Court this week for a trial on traffic charges related to the June 21, 2011, incident. The charges include failure to control vehicle speed to avoid a collision, failure to reduce speed in dangerous weather and driving while his license was suspended in another state.

Dr. Norman I. Zipper, a retired Baltimore optometrist active in the Jewish community, died of renal failure May 12 at his Pikesville home. He was 89. Born in East Baltimore and raised on South Ann Street, he was a 1940 City College graduate. As a young man, he worked at the Patterson Park swimming pool and was a 1943 graduate of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry in suburban Philadelphia. During World War II, he was a Maritime Service pharmacist's mate and was stationed on Catalina Island.