The most recent FBI crime statistics show that Baltimore?s murder rate of 43 per 100,000 people is the worst in the country. Oh, wait. There’s Detroit.
So that makes Mayor Sheila Dixon look bad right? Really bad. But wait? She wasn?t the mayor in 2006.
The mayor in 2006 and for six years before sits comfortably in the governor?s house in Annapolis, leaving his successor to bear the brunt of the fallout from the numbers.
As part of O?Malley?s campaign for the mayor?s post in 1999, he promised to lower murders from the 300 plus average in the 1990s to 175 each year in the city. Last year 276 people were murdered. He never achieved his goal any year.
Where is the accountability? He should be credited with lowering violent crimebelow previous levels. But the Baltimore he left remained a very violent city.
Murders and shootings are up so far this year from last year ? at last count 137 people have been murdered this year ? for which Mayor Dixon can be held partially responsible. But clearly she inherited a crime-ridden city with killings on the increase before her arrival at City Hall.
Even if the city immediately hires and keeps 140 more police officers ? the number of vacant positions at the police department ? reversing the trend will most likely take more time than is left before the mayoral election.
Dixon mayoral rivals release new plans every day to curb the rising violence. The more ideas the better. Wouldn?t tracking the 8,600 ex-offenders returning to the city each year through CitiStat help to identify those most in need of city services so that they don?t return to their default behavior be a start? Maybe the former mayor has a few ideas? Could the state help (without spending more money)?
