Public Safety

State Del. Pat McDonough told the Sun last week that he wasn't going to back down from claims made in a press release that 'black youth mobs terrorize" downtown Baltimore. And in his Saturday night radio show on WCBM (AM-680), he not only made good on that pledge, he ratcheted up the rhetoric ripping Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake while vowing to bring the issue of downtown public safety to the front burner of public consciousness with a "news conference" Tuesday -- and other actions to follow.

State Del. Pat McDonough told the Sun last week that he wasn't going to back down from claims made in a press release that 'black youth mobs terrorize" downtown Baltimore. And in his Saturday night radio show on WCBM (AM-680), he not only made good on that pledge, he ratcheted up the rhetoric ripping Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake while vowing to bring the issue of downtown public safety to the front burner of public consciousness with a "news conference" Tuesday -- and other actions to follow.

Families stood in solidarity as a wreath was placed at Maryland's Fallen Heroes Memorial on Friday in honor of police and firefighters killed in the line of duty. This year, the 27th annual memorial to Maryland's public safety workers honored Maryland State Trooper 1st Class Shaft S. Hunter, among others. Hunter died last year in a traffic accident. "There are so-called heroes in sports, and then there are heroes in life," said Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh to those gathered at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens in Timonium.

Families stood in solidarity as a wreath was placed at Maryland's Fallen Heroes Memorial on Friday in honor of police and firefighters killed in the line of duty. This year, the 27th annual memorial to Maryland's public safety workers honored Maryland State Trooper 1st Class Shaft S. Hunter, among others. Hunter died last year in a traffic accident. "There are so-called heroes in sports, and then there are heroes in life," said Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh to those gathered at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens in Timonium.

Anne Arundel County police officers and firefighters have made themselves clear: They don't believe the county's leadership can help their departments solve staffing and technological problems that they say pose a threat to public safety. The county firefighters union's vote this week of no confidence in Fire Chief John Robert Ray is the latest expression of discontent by public safety workers. Following the lead of three police unions that called on County Executive John R. Leopold to step down, the firefighters union has scheduled its own no-confidence vote on Leopold for Tuesday.

Gov. Martin O'Malley told a conference of state lawmakers and county employees Thursday that public safety must remain a priority, even as Maryland faces a nearly $2 billion revenue shortfall this year. He noted the recent abduction and killing of an 11-year-old girl in Salisbury and said officials must work harder to improve communications between agencies. "What could we have done differently?" the Democratic governor asked at the annual winter meeting of the Maryland Association of Counties.

C ity Council President Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake ordered Thursday a comprehensive review of all city agencies and pledged to keep key public safety leaders in place as she began taking the reins of the city's highest office in the wake of Mayor Sheila Dixon's resignation. Rawlings-Blake, who will ascend to mayor as the city struggles with a historic budget crisis, spoke of the "awesome and enormous responsibility" that comes with the mayor's office. "I pledge to give you my heart and my time so that we can protect our city and deliver essential public services," Rawlings-Blake, ringed by City Council members, said at a news conference yesterday afternoon.

The Anne Arundel County Council approved a measure Monday night that gives the body final say in labor disputes between the county and its public safety employees, a system that union leaders say deteriorates binding arbitration. Despite overwhelming union opposition, the council voted unanimously to approve the legislation, which alters the county's binding arbitration agreement with about 1,500 public safety employees. Councilman Jerry Walker introduced two key amendments, which garnered support among his colleagues, who were previously divided on the bill.

Anne Arundel County police officers and firefighters who used what appeared to be official vehicles and insignias in pro-slots campaign advertisements acted improperly, though they broke no laws, according to the county Ethics Commission. The Ethics Commission issued a reprimand of the public safety workers, saying the activity before the vote on a casino at Arundel Mills mall "violates the spirit of the ethics law," following what the commission described as several inquiries from the public about the extent of county employees' involvement in the campaign.

Much has been made of Anne Arundel County Executive Robert R. Neall's failure to brief residents and local politicians about his plan to build an $80 million jail on a county-owned parcel off New Ordnance Road. His critics have a point. Anything as controversial as a new jail deserves tender loving care. But the key questions are whether the county needs a new jail, and if it does, is this the best place to put it?There's little dispute as to need. The county's existing Annapolis lockup is perpetually overburdened.

Dear Editor: We were very disturbed to read the article about the proposed 2013 Harford County budget. Harford County Executive David Craig proposed no increases in spending for education, emergency service and, most importantly, public safety. Your newspaper regularly reports on a number of serious crimes that occur in many of the communities of Harford County which tarnish an otherwise wonderful place to live and raise children. Harford County Sheriff L. Jesse Bane held a series of town meetings recently and discussed his department's efforts in dealing with the numerous crimes that have been committed in our county.

A key labor battle in Anne Arundel County will go before the state's highest court next month, when the Court of Appeals tackles the dispute over binding arbitration for the county's public safety unions. Angering the nine unions, the county moved last year to give the County Council final word in collective bargaining disputes, a role formerly held by an arbitrator. Union leaders hope the Court of Appeals will undo the council's vote and the unions' subsequent loss on appeal before a county judge.

Absent the colorful facade yet to come, the slots casino at Arundel Mills looks from the outside like a giant parking garage, but thousands of gambling machines on the first floor will soon be lighting up the day and night. The doors are set to open in June, and this year Anne Arundel County can begin slicing up its share of the expected millions. The estimate now is $15 million for Anne Arundel during the first 12 months. That's how much County ExecutiveJohn R. Leopoldput into his proposed budget, calling the Maryland Live Casino "the largest single new source of revenue.

Related: California blogger who helped spread Parsons' information says he feels bad for him and he shouldn't do prison time . Bail for Aaron Parsons, the 20-year-old Rosedale man charged with punching and robbing a downtown visitor in a recorded attack that gained wide attention online, was reduced Monday morning to $500,000.  A District Court Commissioner initially set his bail at $1 million on Saturday morning after...

Howard County Executive Ken Ulman is expected to unveil his budget proposal April 20, despite the uncertainty of state funding. Ulman and county budget administrator Ray Wacks gave few details this week, saying the uncertainty at the state level has created an added challenge in making the county's annual operating budget. "We haven't really made up our minds," Wacks said. "The level of uncertainty is pretty high right now. " If the state's "doomsday budget" goes into effect, Howard could stand to lose about 1 percent of its budget, or as much as $9.6 million in state aid for schools, community colleges and the library system, Wacks said.

Baltimore's fire chief identified Thursday three fire companies he plans to disband, prompting unions to warn safety would be jeopardized in those neighborhoods and a city councilman to decry the loss of Truck 15, described as an integral part of its community. The move makes permanent budgets cuts that were characterized as temporary fixes two years ago, when the city implemented rotating closures of three fire companies. Officials said they had hoped the fiscal picture would improve with the economy and allow for an end to the closures, but the city still faces a $48 million budget shortfall in the $2.3 billion operating budget.

County Executive James M. Harkins honored three workers at the Harford County Emergency Operations Center last week for their contributions to public safety. Michael Brunicke and Chris Hofmeister were given the Frank Heiser Award, which was presented to the 911 fire dispatchers for their outstanding service during the past year. Maria Joseph was honored as the Harford County Sheriff's Office Dispatcher of the Year. The awards were announced Thursday morning during a ceremony at the center.

Maryland public safety chief Bishop L. Robinson, who underwent brain surgery last month, has decided to stay in his state job rather than accept a previously announced appointment as security chief for the Johns Hopkins Hospital, state and hospital officials announced yesterday.Mr. Robinson, a 66-year-old former Baltimore police commissioner whose department is responsible for the prison system and the state police, said in April that he intended to quit this month to take the higher-paying job at Hopkins.

Some community leaders want to increase the property surtax in Midtown Baltimore by more than a third to pay for additional security cameras and safety patrols — a plan that has divided residents over whether a tax increase and public safety upgrades are needed. The proposal, which is being pushed primarily by residents of Charles North and Mount Vernon, is set for a vote Wednesday night by the Midtown Community Benefits District's board of directors. Under the proposal, property owners would pay 18.2 cents for every $100 dollars in assessed value, 5 cents more than the current rate.

The independent Judicial Compensation Commission recently reported its findings to the Maryland General Assembly - presented to the Senate and House of Delegates in the form of joint resolutions - regarding judge's salaries Our state's judges have not received a raise since 2006, and our Circuit Court Judges' pay, when ranked among that of their national peers and adjusted for cost of living, pathetically ranks 43rd in the nation. Just as we take understandable pride in the first-in-the-nation ranking of our state's educational system, we should be suitably embarrassed by that of our judicial compensation - embarrassed not simply by the aforementioned statistic itself, but also by what it says about our state's under-appreciation of what our judges do on a daily basis.  In order to attract new, qualified candidates to the bench, and to retain the judges currently serving, competitive judicial compensation is necessary and appropriate.