The commander of Baltimore Police Department’s Western District, Maj. Natalie Preston, told BHCA’s June meeting that unreported incidents get no attention or follow up. “Until we get a call into 911, there’s no record” and no way to investigate, she said.
Preston appeared at the request of BHCA’s Safety Committee after a rash of incidents attracted attention on Facebook, Next Door and the Citizen law enforcement app but were not, she said, actually on their books. She did say that a widely reported incident involving an intruder into a resident’s bedroom has led to fingerprints but said she could not comment on the ongoing investigation,.
As for gunshots on John Street, a robbery in the 1500 block of Eutaw and other incidents publicized on social media, “we have no record,” she said. Asked specifically if small crimes such as porch piracy of Amazon and FedEx deliveries should be reported, she responded,” If it’s worth your time, yes; I’d report them.”
Preston said that in the aftermath of the bedroom incident and several other reported car and property thefts, she stepped up nighttime patrols in Bolton Hill, She said she personally drove around the neighborhood most mornings around 5 a.m., on her way to Western District headquarters. Recently, she said, she saw a couple of young people on the streets at that early hour and took note.
“If you see something that doesn’t look right, call 911. We will investigate. You don’t have to wait for a crime to occur. But if you don’t call then we don’t know about it,” she said.
An analysis of available police data on reported incidents in Bolton Hill during May by BHCA’s safety committee member Don Feuerstein showed that 60 percent occurred between 7pm and 7am. BHCA is conductinga more detailed analysis of 911 calls and crime reports by type and location to be made available to police and residents.
BHCA Safety Committee Chairman Jim Prost has repeatedly said that criminal incidents in the community are lower than in other parts of the city and that much of the reported crime centers on the small retail center on McMechen Street – shoplifting and other misbehavior in businesses there and some reported drug activity behind the strip mall.
Porch pirating, however, seems to be all around us, and generally not reported to the police. It seems to be an unavoidable cost of urban living. You order a product from Amazon or another vendor, it is brought by an Amazon contractor, a FedEx van or, sometimes, by UPS and USPS. Often it is left on a porch in plain sight with only a rushed knock or bell ring – or no notice at all.
A frustrated neighbor wrote me, “Hoodlums from adjoining impoverished neighborhoods are not the only problem. Also culpable are the delivery services that torture their delivery people with quotas so that they no longer take the time to ring doorbells. Even wine is left on my doorstep, despite the legal requirement that an adult signature be obtained. If you think that packages on busy streets are in jeopardy, try Lions Park, where there are low stoops, no vestibules, regular pedestrian traffic to and from Madison Park and no streets for police patrols. A package on a stoop here has a half life of 10 minutes or so.”
So, what to do? Call the cops at 911 so that if there is a pattern, police might investigate or at least patrol more regularly.
Walgreens on McMechen welcomes FedEx deliveries; it brings customers into their store. So does the Park Avenue Pharmacy. If you lose an Amazon delivery to thieves, call them promptly and report it. Amazon will immediately send a replacement at no cost to you; call 888-280-4331. It isn’t complicated.
FedEx is more cumbersome, probably because they are the shipper but not the vendor. Go to https://www.fedex.com/en-us/customer-support/claims.html to file a theft report. Amazon also has a network of direct-access lockers where, at your direction, they will store your packages for pickup: see Lockermap.com.
According to the federal Postal Regulatory Commission, if a postal package goes missing, call the U.S. Postal Service Inspector Service at 877-876-2455 (select Option 5) or file a report on the Postal Service Inspector Service Online Complaint Form.
UPS says that If a UPS package is marked as delivered but goes missing, UPS considers it stolen. Responsibility primarily lies with the original shipper until it safely reaches your hands. They invite you to call 1 800 PICK UPS promptly to report your loss.
And, of course, one can direct deliveries to another office or to a third-party site, including UPS and FedEx offices. None of this is fun, but if enough people insist on justice, the cost of doing business will rise for the vendors and deliverers and they might improve their behaviors.
–Bill Hamilton
