Baltimore Deputy Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld said his homicide detectives are “Type A guys” ? highly competitive workaholics who sometimes take on three times the caseload of the nation?s average homicide investigator.
“They?re self-motivated,” Bealefeld said. “They have a lot of confidence in themselves. For a criminal investigator, homicide is the jewel.”
But within the ranks of the city?s 42 highly competitive homicide detectives, who stands out? Which detectives are consistently the best performers? Which officers consistently overcome the “Stop Snitchin? ” code of the streets and put cases down?
The Examiner discovered the following:
» If a sergeant really wanted a murder solved, he couldn?t go wrong by assigning Detective Todd Corriveau, who solved all seven of his homicide cases in 2003, his only murder case of 2004 and all three of his cases in 2005. Corriveau?s closure rate since he joined homicide in 2003 is a department-leading 82 percent.
» That same sergeant also would be well-served if he put Detective Richard Purtell, a unit workhorse, on the case. In the last five years, Purtell has solved 23 cases, more homicides than any other detective in Baltimore, at a closure rate of 70 percent.
» Homicide Detectives Kirk Hastings and Joseph Jefferson aren?t far behind Purtell, closing 69 and 68 percent of their cases, respectively, over the last five years ? noticeably above the national average of 60 percent.
As any good sergeant knows, statistics don?t tell the whole story. Some murders are much easier to solve than others. A murder-suicide, for instance, solves itself. On the other hand, a 2 a.m. drive-by shooting in an area of Baltimore not known for its cooperation with police can be even the best detective?s worst nightmare.
Eight detectives haven?t solved any of the cases they were assigned last year, including some top performers from earlier years. At least one detective failed to solve any of his homicides from the last two years. That detective was serving in the armed forces in Afghanistan.
Baltimore Police Col. Rick Hite, chief of community relations, said it?s getting harder for police to solve homicides because of the “Stop Snitchin? ” code of the streets.
Hite said “Stop Snitchin? ” ? the mantra that orders city residents never to talk to a police officer, no matter what violent crime they observed ? is a disease that has infected many large U.S. cities, and Baltimore has caught the illness in a bad way.
“It?s a global thing,” he said. “It?s not just Baltimore. This violence, this ?Stop Snitchin? code, it?s a learned behavior. What we have to do is teach people it?s not acceptable. What hurts us is there?s an expectation from some victim?s family members and mothers that we could do more. But the guy who shot her son showed up at his funeral standing next to his best friend, who was at the scene ? and they won?t talk to police.”
Still, for those detectives who don?t perform, Baltimore Police Commissioner Leonard Hamm said they don?t last long.
“In homicide, if you?re not good, you?re moved out,” Hamm says, adding that his detectives are some of the best in the country. “I?ve got confidence in these men and women.”
Baltimore City homicide detectives
2006 Most Closures
Detective Gordon Carew – 6
Detective Gregory Boris – 5
Detective Joseph Jefferson – 5
Detective Sean Jones – 5
2006 Highest Percentage of Closures (At least three cases)
Detective Bryan Kershaw – 100 percent (3 of 3)
Detective Gregory Boris – 83 percent (5 of 6)
Detective Gordon Carew – 75 percent (6 of 8)
2005 Most Closures
Detective Raymond Laslett – 6
Detective Donald Bradshaw – 5
Detective Gordon Carew – 5
Detective Kirk Hastings – 5
Detective Ray Hunter – 5
Detective Gary Niedermeier – 5
2005 Highest Percentage of Closures (At least three cases)
Detective Todd Corriveau – 100 percent (3 of 3)
Detective Raymond Laslett – 75 percent (6 of 8)
Detective Kirk Hastings – 71 percent (5 of 7)
Detective Gary Niedermeier – 71 percent (5 of 7)
2004 Most Closures
Detective Richard Purtell – 8
Detective Gary Niedermeier – 6
Detective Robert Patton – 6
2004 Highest Percentage of Closures (At least three cases)
Detective Irvin Bradley – 100 percent ( 3 of 3)
Detective Jason Callaghan – 100 percent (3 of 3)
Detective Richard Purtell – 89 percent (8 of 9)
2003 Most Closures
Detective Todd Corriveau – 7
Detective Donald Bradshaw – 7
Detective John McGrath – 6
Detective John Riddick – 6
2003 Highest Percentage of Closures (At least three cases)
Detective Todd Corriveau – 100 percent (7 of 7)
Detective Mark Veney – 100 percent (5 of 5)
Detective Tyrone Francis – 100 percent (3 of 3)
2002 Most Closures
Detective Chris Beiling – 6
Detective Kirk Hastings – 6
Detective Chris Jones – 5
Detective Raymond Laslett – 5
Detective Frank Miller – 5
Detective Richard Purtell – 5
2002 Highest Percentage of Closures (At least three cases)
Detective Chris Beiling – 100 percent (6 of 6)
Detective Chris Jones – 100 percent (5 of 5)
Detective Raymond Laslett – 100 percent (5 of 5)
Detective Gordon Carew – 100 percent (4 of 4)
Detective William Ritz – 100 percent (3 of 3)
» Five-year Totals
Most Closures
Detective Richard Purtell – 23
Detective Kirk Hastings – 22
Detective Gary Niedermeier – 21
Highest Percentage of Closures (At least 10 cases)
Detective Todd Corriveau – 82 percent (14 of 17)
Detective Richard Purtell – 70 percent (23 of 33)
Detective Kirk Hastings – 69 percent (22 of 32)
Source: Baltimore Police Department homicide files
Examiner Staff Writer Michael Olesker contributed to this article.
