Homicide down 3.8% in Baltimore!

Despite the fact that Baltimore Police detective Brian Stevenson was brutally and tragically killed (with a brick) this weekend (just one day before his 38th birthday) over a parking spot at a downtown club,

http://www.examiner.com/web-buzz-in-national/baltimore-police-officer-killed-over-parking-space

http://wjz.com/local/detective.shot.brian.2.1967279.html


And three non-fatal shootings occurred,

http://wjz.com/local/Quantril.Way.shooting.2.1967399.html


And last weekend, 5 people were killed in Baltimore shootings:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/crime-scene/baltimore/5-die-in-baltimore-shootings.html

the rates for homicide and non-lethal shootings in Baltimore are down this year.

Baltimore Police recently released an update stats on shootings and homicides:

2010

174 Homicides

335 Non-Fatal Shootings


2009 (as of Oct. 18)

181 Homicides

366 Non-Fatal Shootings


So Homicides are down nearly 4% and non-fatal shootings are down just over 9%.

I'm sure Gansler and O'Malley will say this is because of the "tough gun control laws" in MD.

I reckon it's more because of the nation-wide ammo shortage...


Meanwhile, Baltimore is one of six cities to recently receive a Federal grant to study, and I quote, "Gun Suppression"...

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/20...registry-gun-policy-and-research-gun-violence

I'm assuming this study is about keeping guns out of the hands of "the wrong kinds of people" (and we all know what that REALLY means...), and NOT about actually putting Suppressors on firearms...

Should be called a study on "Anti-Gun Oppression"--that would be MUCH more accurate...

I think Mayor Rawlings-Blake summed it up honestly when she said to the press, "With this additional support from our federal partners, we will continue to enhance our gun suppression strategies."

How about instituting a policy banning off-duty cops from going to the hoody clubs downtown? That seems to be playing out very badly for BPD. Whether the officers are killed, or are the killers, it seems that off-duty lethal altercations at Baltimore "hot spots" is becoming a running theme with the Baltimore PD in their off-duty hours...

Baltimore is a lost cause. Maryland overall is beyond the point of salvage. It's only a matter of time. You can't legislate behavior.