Useful information from the last Board Meeting on June 7th:
Neighborhood Safety
Major Russell reported that an officer has been assigned to patrol the neighborhood at night through the summer to provide a visible presence on the street.
From his walks through the neighborhood at night, Officer Evans noted that he has seen many people staring at their cell phones, which places them at risk. Would-be thieves see such staring and the use of white ear buds as cues that people are not paying attention to their surroundings. Jill confirmed that based on her review of police reports, cell phones are often involved in robberies.
Also in response to concerns about neighborhood safety, there are now four regular Citizens on Patrol (COP) walks each week, per the schedule below. The walkers welcome new members anytime, so please consider joining one. Good conversation provided.
- Monday, 7 am: meet at the northern fountain on Park Avenue
- Monday, 8 pm: meet in front of Memorial Episcopal Church
- Wednesday, 7 am: meet at the northern fountain on Park Avenue
- Thursday, 8:30 pm: meet in front of 1329 Bolton Street.
911 Calls
Scott Brillman, the Acting Director of 911 and Emergency Communications, addressed the group on 911 operations. Since Baltimore uses the same technology as other areas of Maryland, this information offers everyone good guidance.
In Baltimore, there are about 4,000 calls per day, with about 90% of these coming from cell phones. Many calls focus on crime, but there are all kinds of other calls as well as. For instance, if someone is having heart attack or stroke, operators are equipped to provide information to help save lives.
When calling 911, operators first confirm the location address, which is asked twice to double-check, so be patient and respond twice. Calls are normally answered in 3-6 seconds, but sometimes there’s a recording when more calls come in than the operators available, such as when there’s a major accident on the highway.
If you get the recording, please stay on the phone, because if you hang up and call back, you go to the end of the queue.
For city service issues and other non-emergencies, use 311, available from 6 am to 10 pm. However, if you are reporting a suspicious person or situation, use 911. Callers can remain anonymous and ask the operator to delete their identifying info.
Blue Plaque Committee
Volunteers are needed for Neal Friedlander’s committee tasked with selecting worthy neighborhood homes to receive a new wave of Blue Plaques. The committee’s selections will then be vetted by University of Baltimore history professor Betsy Nix.
Blue Plaques celebrate and honor past residents who made important contributions to human welfare, history, or cultural and intellectual life. The person honored must be deceased or at least 100 years old. If interested, contact Neal at nfriedla@gbmc.org.
New Board Member
Katrina Smith had to resign from the Board. The nominating committee unanimously nominated Ashley Day of the 200 block of Lanvale, who was unanimously approved by the Board.
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