Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

Significant_Jump_21 t1_iswdehf wrote

I'm near the city county line. The county cops told us the scrap yards have to get driver license info from anyone selling metal. ESPECIALLY cat converters. They have to hold converters for 3 days. Cops check the scrap yards when someone files a stolen converter report. That's state law. CITY cops it's totally different. They dgaf. The city scrap yards don't hold converters. Cops don't follow up on the stolen converter reports. The county cops told us criminals are stealing converters out in Baltimore, Howard and AA county. Then bring them to the city scrap yards to sell.

My shop is on Wilkens near a scrap yard. I know the dudes at the scrap yard. They literally don't hold anything or ask for ID. City cops don't do anything about stolen stuff in the city. It's crazy.

196

Xanny t1_iswn3lm wrote

Abolish and reform the BPD, there is no way to salvage it.

139

goingtocalifornia__ t1_isxgoyu wrote

We’d all love that, but actually seeing it through will be like moving a mountain. I can’t even think of a precedent where that’s happened before.

12

sllewgh t1_isxi0q1 wrote

We wouldn't be the first. It's not such a radical new idea anymore.

42

InOnTheKillTaker t1_isxj098 wrote

I'll probably be ignored or downvoted, but to add to this, this is a great book. It is possible.

Edit: Changed link to a book I ACTUALLY read that I ACTUALLY meant to link. Sorry. I am sure the other book is fine, I just never read it lol

17

Ill-Consideration974 t1_isys0n8 wrote

Personally, I think the bigger issue are the citizens of this city. Some of them aren’t compatible with a civilized society. They’re the ones that need to be rehabbed or removed from society with longer sentences. Pretty obvious the laid back policing and tap on wrist policies of the judicial system aren’t making things better either.

11

Xanny t1_isytsya wrote

Thats tied into everything though. Corrupt af city government can't do social programs and tell the cops not to enforce law, corrupt cops don't enforce the laws they should, corrupt schools can't educate kids, etc.

If the BPD got reformed and the state prosecutor wasn't shit telling them not to prosecute violent crime they could at least get the dangerous off the street, its just gonna be expensive and ongoing, and there needs to be a multi-pronged approach to stop people from falling through societies cracks and ending up so messed up.

3

lincoln_hawks1 t1_isxlyhv wrote

What would that look like? And where would you get the staff?

8

Xanny t1_isyps53 wrote

Others have posted some good reading on the subject - but you basically abolish the current charter, rewrite it, and have the public vote on it. In the gap between the measure being passed and taking effect the city government gets the new structure in order before the charter switches over - you reinterview everyone, you rehire some portion of the existing force, and you do hiring for new staff all in advance of the switch.

Of course, BPD being BPD, they would flip a tit and possibly burn the city down before that happens, but thats kinda why it has to happen.

Part of it is going to probably require state and federal aid to train up new officers with a new academy and reformed training. This is probably something the city cannot do with just its own money. But the state of MD has been interested in varying regards of doing this for a long time because it hurts the entire state to have the largest economic center in the state have such a corrupt and broken police force. I'm pretty sure the state level could afford the transition, but federal funding might also be involved since its so close to DC.

0

lincoln_hawks1 t1_it04e87 wrote

Thanks for sharing this summary. Less radical than I was assuming. And BPD: terrible sons of bitches

2

TheCaptainDamnIt t1_isxn4al wrote

BPD don't give a fuck about crime, this city, anyone not a cop or anyone they don't know personally, hell they don't even care about just doing their job. They only thing they care about is that they are 'respected' and patted on the back by society just for their existence. And if they don't get that, they'll do even less of their job to 'punish' everyone else. We need to burn the whole department down and start over.

20

gothaggis t1_isxxf0v wrote

they care about fake overtime

17

EthanSayfo t1_isydcrc wrote

Was going to say this.

All they care about is being the macho boss of the neighborhood, and sucking as much of Baltimore's finances into their personal bank accounts as possible.

Worth watching HBO's We Own This City. I'd say it's "based" on a true story, but it really just is the true story, dramatized.

4

EntireAd9048 t1_isxy2r9 wrote

It's basically city policy not to prosecute or punish anyone for stealing (it's a "nonviolent" property crime), so are you surprised?

Even if they track some of the cat thieves down, you really think they're going to have money to pay fines? You really think the city is going to spend money to prosecute or incarcerate them?

Also, even if they hold things for 3 days... you realize that some more organized cat thief groups will just hold onto the cats for a month or two before scrapping them, right? Or they will scrap them in other jurisdictions entirely (western PA, small counties in VA, etc).

Because there's so little risk if you're actually caught, this will not stop anytime soon. But it's also worth noting that there is not a cat theft epidemic in areas that have active law enforcement (Harford, Carroll, etc).

7

todareistobmore t1_isz08te wrote

> areas that have active law enforcement (Harford, Carroll, etc).

Tfw you've convinced yourself that street parking, dense development and a comparatively high rate of target cars aren't factors, or would you say this is a considered opinion?

2

minominino t1_iszwu8y wrote

They’re being stolen all over PG county too. Which doesn’t surprise anybody, ofc

2

stormtatsu t1_isztuwy wrote

The problem with this is that a lot of the time they disassemble the cats themselves and melt the rare metals before trying to sell. So having all these regulations doesn’t do much.

0

Significant_Jump_21 t1_it0ypmq wrote

I live near MidAtlantic Metal in the county. The county scrap yards don't take converters the way the city yards do. I had a grill stolen from my city backyard. I tracked it down Wilkens to the city scrap yard. The county yard is 1/4 mile away. BUT they require ID. I'm not big government. BUT if the city enforced the law on scrapping we'd have less metal stolen. I can't even have metal patio furniture. Scrappers steal it in days. Sims and Decker accept trash cans full of stolen metal from addicts all day long. County scrap yards don't do that.

2