The top brass of the Baltimore police force may work for the city, but they don?t choose to call it home.
Except for Commissioner Leonard Hamm, almost all of the roughly 50 top commanders by rank working for the Baltimore Police Department do not live in the city, sources inside the department allege.
Among the commanders who live outside the city, eight reside in Pennsylvania, sources said.
Sources inside the police department said some top commanders use “take-home cars,” to commute to and from work ? unmarked cars paid for and maintained by the city. The take-home cars allow the commanders to respond to emergencies, sources say, and the vehicles come with free gas privileges.
The Examiner confirmed that only two top-level commanders actually reside in the city: Major Jessie Odom, commander of public housing police, and Major Rick Hite, who works for the community relations division.
The revelation that most of the department?s top staff lives outside the city raised questions among city leaders, as the police officials stress changes in strategy to community-oriented policing.
“How can you talk about community policing if the police do not live in the community?” asked State Del. Jill Carter, who is running for mayor. “It you live a community you?re invested in it. I live in the district I serve, and so I understand the community?s pain.”
Attempts to reach police officials for comment were not successful.
Mayor Sheila Dixon?s spokesman, Anthony McCarthy, said she prefers to have top commanders living in Baltimore.
“It?s Mayor Dixon?s preference to have all senior staff live in the city,” he said. “In Baltimore, she is working every day to create affordable housing [that] would make it easier for them to choose to do so. The mayor hopes to see more and more command staff choose to live in the city.”
Councilman Jack Young, D-12th District, agreed that senior staff should live in the city.
“If they?re going to be in a high-level position, the should live here and get to know the residents of the city,” he said. “I think it should be required that all top-level people live in the city.”
