BPD Commissioner Urges Public's Help To Stop Violent Crimes, Talks Deployment Changes In 'Microzones'
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison announced detailed deployment adjustments and the department's new "place-based patrolling" strategy in microzones- an area with high crime in a press conference Tuesday afternoon.
Officers are now required to spend time in these zones- walking around, talking to neighbors, investigating and enforcing.
"Our officers are often in the right places at the right times, but violent crimes are being committed anyway," Harrison said. "Which speaks to a certain culture of violence where criminals do not fear any possible consequence from the criminal justice system."
Seven people were shot across the city since Friday and the number of homicides in Baltimore so far this year is now above 150.
Harrison said that of the people shot, police know that three of the cases, the victim was in some way acquainted with the person who killed them.
Harrison also urged citizens to tell police if they know anything related to these violent crimes that occur throughout the city.
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Some believe Harrison's plan is a start to stop the bloodshed.
"If they put more officers out here, I believe people wouldn't even think about committing a crime because there are too many police walking around," David Warner said.
Some said this tactic has already been tried.
The Baltimore Fraternal Order of Police released a statement comparing Harrison's plan to past efforts and calling into question an officer's ability to respond to calls, saying in part:
"Fewer police officers and more zones to cover clearly means a thinly stretched patrol division."
Other people believe it's up to the community to help stop the violence.
"It would help a little bit, but we all need to pull together the community and all of us we have to help if we can," Ernestine Taylor said.
Harrison said that the department will continue to reassess and readjust officers in those microzones as needed.