BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Baltimore’s new Entertainment District Unit (EDU) has made strides in addressing gun violence, with two arrests for handgun violations reported late Friday night in Fells Point.
A 19-year-old was arrested in the 600 block of South Broadway, and a 29-year-old in the 800 block of South Broadway, according to Baltimore Police. This comes just a week after a woman was grazed by a bullet on the same block.
District 11 Councilman Zach Blanchard, who has long advocated for the unit, said, “I think it’s the right move and I’m optimistic we’re going to see results.”
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The Baltimore Police Department reported that the EDU has seized five guns, made nine arrests, and issued over a half dozen open container violations.
Betsy Smith, a spokesperson for the National Police Association, praised the concept of the EDU, saying, “It does something that we know in law enforcement can be very successful. And that is flood a certain area with police officers.”
However, she expressed concerns about the department’s staffing, noting that it is hundreds of officers short. “Presuming the police officers on this new specialized unit are either working overtime,” she said, or being pulled from other areas where they are needed.
Smith warned that reallocating officers could lead to increased crime in less protected areas. “When you are possibly pulling those police officers from other areas, what the bad guys are going to do is just go to those areas that are less protected and possibly commit crime there,” she said.
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Fed Hill resident Sandy Seward echoed these concerns, stating, “People don’t even go out at night anymore. They don’t want to walk to the park. Our business district does not service the residents of Federal Hill.” This follows reports of over 30 vehicles being vandalized in the area.
Smith also highlighted potential issues with response times and officer safety, saying, “If a police officer in one district is calling for back up but two of the police officers that would have been working, are now working in the entertainment district, that is a problem for police officer survival.”
While there is no current data on whether hold times have increased or if other areas have seen a rise in crime since the unit’s inception, Smith emphasized the need for a visible police presence citywide. “You also need police officers on proactive patrol in all areas of the city, to act as deterrents,” she said.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source foxbaltimore.com ’
