Padlock

POLICE LOG* Turf Valley: Someone stole a $100 cement bird bath from the yard of a house in the 900 block of 220th St. sometime between 10 p.m. Tuesday and 7 a.m. Wednesday.* Pasadena: Thieves stole stereo equipment from a truck and a car parked on the lot of Northeast High School Wednesday morning.* Sunset Beach: Someone cut the padlock off an outside door last weekend to break into a home in the 8400 block of Miramar Road and steal $500 worth of tools.

Korean-Americans protested yesterday a city public nuisance law they feel unfairly targets their businesses, as a judge told the liquor board to review a case involving the first store closed by the rule. In April, the city liquor board decided not to renew the license of Linden Bar and Liquors, in the 900 block of W. North Ave., after hearing community concerns over criminal activity in and around the business, including a homicide inside the store. Yesterday, because of a procedural matter, a Baltimore Circuit Court judge instructed the board to review its decision not to renew Chang K. Yim's tavern license.

* Glenelg: Someone stole two balance scales valued at $120 and a $50 a Santa Cruz skateboard from Glenelg High School on Tuesday or Wednesday.* West Friendship: 8400 block of Heatherwood Way: A juvenile known to a resident knocked on the victim's door demanding to use the telephone Tuesday. The suspect forced his way into the residence and used the telephone. Nothing was taken.* 8500 block of Baltimore National Pike: Someone stole four tires valued at $550 and four hubcaps valued at $200 from a 1993 Ford Escort at Normandy Ford between Saturday and Monday.

The owner of a Harney general store told state police that someone cut the padlock on his store and stole $200.Luther I. Ridinger, owner of Ridinger's Store in the 5000 block of Harney Road, said the break-in occurred between 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.Ridinger, 74, recently pleaded guilty to molesting six young boys and was ordered to spend his nights in the county jail for the next nine months.He is allowed to work at the store during the day.FIRE* New Windsor: New Windsor equipment responded for clean-up duties in the 2800 block of New Windsor Road at 9:43 p.m. Wednesday.

* Ellicott City: 8300 block of Grove Angle Road: Someone pried off the lock on a storage shed Monday or Tuesday, but nothing was taken.8500 block of U.S. 40: A 1995 white Ford Contour with Maryland tags BJW-165 was discovered missing during inventory at Normandy Ford. The rental car was taken within the past three weeks.* Elkridge: 5700 block of Furnace Ave.: Someone cut a hole in a fence surrounding McGuire Inc., broke the padlock of a storage trailer and stole a trowel machine Saturday.

One day soon, Luther Braxton may return to the house he's renting on Retreat Street and find it closed and padlocked.The 73-year-old retiree has been convicted of renting rooms to prostitutes for the past 14 years. With more than a dozen arrests to back up their case, police are seeking to shut down the house under a 1986 padlock law being invoked for the first time.He is not alone.Residents of a house in the 700 block of East 30th Street also may be looking for new quarters because police provided evidence recently to show that the building -- located in a drug-free zone -- was being used for drug trafficking.

Ultralounge declared 'public nuisance'; police could padlock it for up to a year 3 Violence linked to the Suite Ultralounge, in the basement of the historic Belvedere Hotel, has made the business a public nuisance, a Baltimore administrative hearing officer found Monday. That clears the way for police to padlock the club for up to a year. Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said no action will be taken until Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III has an opportunity to read the hearing examiner's written decision, which should occur "within a week."

City Council President Lawrence A. Bell III made the first foray into television advertising by a mayoral candidate yesterday with a commercial on his crime-fighting efforts in the city.In the 30-second campaign spot, Bell is seen walking and talking with city police officers and residents, mostly on Baltimore streets. Only the voice of Gary McLhinney, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, is heard as he lists Bell's accomplishments in office. The union has endorsed Bell's mayoral bid."

I have Wi-Fi and cellular service through T-Mobile, and I'm wondering how best to secure it from electronic interlopers at the next table at Starbucks. Based on your previous columns, I installed the Zone Alarm firewall. Is there anything I need to turn on or off in XP to keep someone from using one of these radio-based systems to peek in my PC or perhaps load in a virus? First of all, remember that you could be sharing a room with gadget-armed hackers with stuff like telephoto digital camcorders, directional microphones and, of course, their own laptops connected to the same hot-spot network.

Liquor store failed to secure safety In Peter Hermann's Baltimore Crime Beat column "Shopowner's lawsuit may test the city's padlock law" (Sept. 12), Chang K. Yim, the owner of Linden Bar and Liquors, portrays himself as a victim because his store was ordered padlocked as a result of the persistent problem of drug dealing and violence in and around the store. Any action that damages someone's livelihood has to be taken very seriously, and must be undertaken only as a last resort to end a problem that is hurting many others.