Watchful Eyes Deter Crime

When we discuss the concept of keeping a watchful eye on illegal activity, most of us focus on potential criminal or misdemeanor activity by youths, loose gangs or minorities. It is a stereotype and response that need to be resisted, since much of the deviant behaviour around us occurs at the hands of other groups, as well: law enforcement personnel, corporations and everyday citizens who infringe on human rights.

An equally pervasive reaction to calls for citizens to prevent crime is to assume that this responsibility should fall to others, and that we will have little impact, individually. Both responses are detrimental to making our lives and our communities safer. The adage that "it takes a village" to rise a child is equally applicable to making your life more safe and crime-free. Where there are watchful eyes, crime of all type decreases. Concurrently, when we assume a little responsibility, we make it less burdensome on those empowered with authority.

Consider that if, in addition to your own home, you paid attention to situations amenable to crime (break-ins, vandalism, etc.) for each of your neighbours on the four sides of your own property, one pair of eyes could prevent such activities in five, instead of one residence. Now, imagine if only one other owner out of those four properties did the same, and that pattern continued throughout your city, 20% of the community could deter 100% of the problems in every home.

In rural and smaller communities, statistics reveal that property crimes and serious violence are significantly lower than in larger centres. Neighbours concerned about neighbours constitute almost all of the reasons for this disparity between large and small centres. While many people view the attitudes of country folk as intrusive, nosy or prying, the interest of neighbours and friends in one's life offers real dividends! Watchful eyes do work.

Conversely, anonymity provide the cover for deviance. Again, watchful eyes offer the best chance to see decreases in crime, by spotlighting deviant behaviour. It is no surprise, then, that many of the meth labs and concentrated grow ops in North America are placed in big cities, where people do not involve themselves in their neighbours' lives, and place the onus for safety and crime prevention solely on the shoulders of justice and law enforcement systems.

Relying on the principle of five - that is, assuming responsibility for watching out for your four neighbours can be extrapolated to the workplace, or to the environment around you. Five vehicles adjacent to you, five nearby businesses, or five nearby co-workers can both benefit from your concern for their wellbeing, and be deterred form potential criminal activity. Expand your boundaries and horizons systematically and you expand your zone of safety and security, as well as the zone for others.

As our communities expand, and we become less involved, we invite crime. Simultaneously, our attitudes toward crime become more blurred, and acceptance of so-called softer crimes becomes easier. Think of how we view shoplifting. The very name implies diminished seriousness. Vandals who deface property brand their activity as "tagging," making it sound more like a game than a crime. One study found that 38% of taxpayers admit to cheating on their income tax, and over 60% feel that avoidance of tax is not a serious problem. Maybe, stacked against murders, fraud is "soft," but a willingness to cheat your fellow taxpayer and citizen out of money (our government is not independent: it is us!) is a willingness to step across that line of morality that separates criminals from honest people.

The violence in the United Kingdom in August, 2011, or the violent protest in Greece (some of it occurring because people, many of whom do not pay their taxes, were upset that the decreased tax revenue available could no longer pay for their early retirement) largely was based on concern for self, rather than concern for those around us. That psychology needs to change, if we want a safe environment around us. We need to think of others first, and watch out for our neighbours, ahead of ourselves.

Having a watchful eye, though, and merely watching are two different processes entirely. For what are we watching? The entrenched habit is to concentrate on youth, minorities, people who differ from us in beliefs, people who differ from us in objectives and activities, and people whom we see as not conforming to our way of viewing the world. On the other hand, many of us implicitly trust our law enforcement, our religious leaders, our seniors, our friends, and those who provide us with the things we desire. That is both myopic and misdirected. However, it also contains a small part of the essence of what we should be observing: differences.

Unfortunately, we cue in on the wrong differences. One religion or another, or example, has no exclusive domain over morality. Neither does one race or another. Blind studies and objective observation have found that youth often have a moral sense equal to adults, and that seniors are no less subject to the temptation to deviate. Rather, the differences that set us apart from those that are deviating from acceptable behaviour are those of action.

Think of the person in the car next to you, who texts on his cell phone. Notice how furtive his glance is, or his downward gaze, when he should be watching the road. Notice the shoplifter, who looks around for people who may be observing, rather than at the merchandise. Notice the vendor who tries to steer you away from examining some aspect or feature of the item that you are considering for purchase. Note the collection of people, not in the front but in the back of a building. Note the after-hours visits to a location that may indicate that illegal activity is being concealed. Note the person whose behaviour with you is markedly different than his behaviour with someone else. It is the difference in action that set apart differences in intent.

In the next article, I will discuss the MOI Inventory. MOI is an evaluative technique employed, in one form or another, by police and investigators, and relies on understanding of the three ingredients of any crime: Motive, Opportunity and Indicators.

In subsequent articles, I will provide details on how to watch, how to record, how to report and respond, without putting yourself at risk.

However, the beginning of the process is to be vigilant, and to keep a watchful eye, since merely being noticed often is a strong deterrent for those engaged in inappropriate behaviour.

Robert (Bob) Lee
Robert (Bob) Lee is a former business developer and consultant to not-for-profit, community-based and rural development groups. He is also a former investigator who has encountered "the other side of life" through the criminal element, and has been able to observe the human element at its worst and best. His track record of success is significant, and his perspectives on business, government and people at large is unique. He has written numerous books, in genres ranging from business to fantasy,from non-fiction to fairy tales. Visit some of his blogs, beginning at http://accountableandresponsible.blogspot.com.

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Behind the headlines: Readers weigh in on crime coverage

Baltimore Crime Beat: Too much crime? Or not enough? Readers weigh in - Baltimore crime news: Police, courts and police stories in the city and central Maryland - baltimoresun.com JOBS CARS REAL ESTATE CLASSIFIED ADVERTISE HOME DELIVERY SUN STORE The Baltimore Sun > Maryland News > Baltimore Crime Beat Sign up for FREE breaking news text alerts: More Info « Feds file more charges in Block trafficking case | Main | Girl, 12, reports being sexually assaulted at city school »

November 11, 2011 Too much crime? Or not enough? Readers weigh in

Either we at the paper write too much about crime or not enough. Either we're complicit in covering up the violence to help the mayor or we're out to scare everyone away from the city and leave it to ruin.

Two readers shared their opinions on crime coverage. One was upset that we referenced Morgan State University in a short story on a fatal shooting. Another was unhappy with crime coverage in Charles Village, which he thought excessive for one neighborhood.

The Morgan man writes:

Every other day people are murdered or assaulted near a John Hopkins building, dorm, or establishment and never are these issues linked together as such. Either it is ineptitude, racism, or bad judgement? Either way, I just don't get how or why this is a story about Morgan State?

I grew up in an impoverished neighborhood near one of the wealthiest universities in the world and although a ton of crime occurred, the local news never connected it with this ivy league institution. Morgan State is a safe place that girds that entire community and Baltimore. Without it, it things in some of those neighborhoods would be tragically worse.

First, it's just wrong that a person a day is murdered or assaulted near any university in the city. There isn't even a person murdered a day in the entire city. The killing occurred Wednesday night in front of a dorm located off campus. The story mentioned location, and said that the university was trying to determine if a student was the victim. We later learned the shooting wasn't connected to the school and the story was update accordingly. But the institution as a locator for the shooting remains valid.

The gentleman complaining about Charles Village owns property there, and I've learned, and I understand, that property owners get upset when we cover crime in their neighborhoods. Many people also get upset when they see a police car speeding by their home and wonder why it wasn't reported in the morning paper.

Charles Village is an important neighborhood in the city, home to a major university, and crime is a problem. It's where Johns Hopkins researcher Stephen Pitcairn was killed, and where another man was shot in a robbery just a few weeks ago. A Hopkins student was sexually assaulted in an alley last month, and break-ins are routine fodder for the university's crime log.

The story to which the writer objects was how a Hopkins student pointed out a suspicious man crouching on a rowhouse rooftop. Police arrested the man, who it turned out was wanted by police on charges that he broke into a house full of Hopkins lacrosse players. It was both a story on a suspect sought in a series of burglaries, and an alert citizen (and student) who helped police do exactly what they ask of us each day -- be alert and report suspicious activity.

It's true that Charles Village is one of the more active neighborhoods, and they report crime and other goings-on with great frequency to us and to each other. That in turns gets them more attention than other communities. But I also received several emails from Charles Village residents thanking me for the coverage.

Here are the emails from the resident, Shaun Carrick. I'd love to hear what everyone else thinks: 

Dear Mr. Hermann:

It seems that you have something against Charles Village – you are regularly reporting on and rehashing crime stories that have some connection to our neighborhood (using words such as “adjacent” to Charles Village) – perhaps it is because we are a community of mainly white residents and readers read and react more to crimes in predominantly white communities.

Readers are often left with an impression that our community is one of the more crime-plagued communities in the City which is certainly not the case – we have crime as do most all city neighborhoods but your stories go well beyond simply reporting a crime – you seem to use your stories to accentuate fear and anxiety and oftentimes rehash crimes from the past to enhance your story.

“Steadfast” homeowner implies that we have a fortress mentality and that is far from the case.  I trust you have some appreciation for the damage you inflict on a community with your manner of reporting.

I would ask that you please consider the ramifications of how your report crime and characterize a community and its residents – if you and your newspaper continue to report in such an irresponsible manner you will eventually run all of your readers out of the City – I’m not sure that is an accomplishment worthy of a journalist or a reputable newspaper.

I had to laugh when I read in your newspaper’s editorial earlier this year about how the perception of crime in Baltimore was out of proportion to actual crime in the City – despite year to year declines in crime the perception of most Baltimore area residents is that crime has increased – it is your newspaper and to be frank your stories in particular which I believe are responsible for this disconnect between perception and reality.

Unfortunately, perception is oftentimes more important in motivations behind actions than reality and at some point perhaps my partner and I will decide it is time to give up on Baltimore before your newspaper succeeds in convincing everyone that they should stay clear of one of “America’s most crime-ridden cities”.

I would ask that you please give some consideration to the impact of your stories and the role you play in the exaggerated perceptions of crime in the City.  You really do this City a disservice.

Shaun Carrick

I responded, much the way I did above, and he wrote back:

Thank you Mr. Hermann for your response. I agree that you have a responsibility to report crime honestly and I also agree that crime is an important issue for our City and community.  Although it is true that Baltimore remains among the top cities for crime on a per capita basis, using a per capita statistic can be misleading as it simply compares communities on a relative basis – it does not necessarily reflect the reality of crime and true risks of crime for a city’s residents.

In Baltimore (as in many cities), the average law abiding citizen does not have a significant risk of being the victim of crime – my guess is that if you studied crime statistics (particularly violent crime statistics), those most at risk are themselves criminals or those involved with drugs.  In particular, those most at risk are young black men involved in drug trafficking – Mr. Pitcairn’s case is a tragedy but is also the rare exception.

The wounds of Stephen’s horrific death will never heal completely but we do need to keep such a tragedy in perspective.  Fortunately, the criminals in that case have been brought to justice and we all must move on as best we can.

It is ironic to me that because our community has a few outspoken residents (whose work on the court watch issue I very much appreciate) more information is made available to you which in turn ends up in relatively more crime stories about our neighborhood than other neighborhoods.

I recognize that there are citizens who do not trust government or the press but I would ask that you keep their views in perspective as they do not always characterize the views of a majority in the community – they just happen to be more outspoken.

In any event, we can certainly disagree on what is the best way to report on crime – I recognize your right and responsibility to report facts – what I struggle with is the embellishment that may accompany those facts or the choice of which facts to report when the consequence is to add to an exaggerated or even incorrect perception.

As we both know, how facts are reported and which facts are selected to report can result in very different conclusions and perceptions. I first moved to Baltimore in the early 80s when homicides were almost twice what they are today and when I had neighbors in Mt. Vernon and Bolton Hill who were victims of violent crime – today the situation is very different – crime is still a problem but it is unfortunate that the public perception is that matters have gotten worse when in fact the opposite is true.

I have never been the victim of crime (except in the parking garage at Towsontowne Mall) so perhaps my view is distorted by my own personal experience but I would like to see at least the other side of the crime story told more regularly – it may not be as newsworthy or salacious but it would help provide balance on this highly charged issue.

One item in your recent story which gave me concern is the fact that a judge released a repeat offender after only 13 days in jail despite his 2 or 3 year sentence – it seems to me that part of the problem is the laxness of judges in our criminal justice system; Mr. Davis should have been in jail.

It seems to me to be appropriate to report the names of these judges in your stories so that they can be held accountable for their contribution to crime – perhaps they would be cognizant of their actions.  I recognize that there may be extenuating circumstances that cause a judge to ignore sentencing guidelines but the conduct of judges would seem to be a story worth reporting.

I do appreciate the difficulty in reporting on crime but I would ask that you and your colleagues consider the bigger picture of how your stories may affect public perception – it is no one’s interest to create a perception that is out of proportion to actual facts but instead is based on fears or anxieties stoked by reporting.

I did see that your article in the published newspaper had been revised from the electronic version on-line to remove the word “steadfast” which I appreciate – the vast majority of those living in our neighborhood very much enjoy our neighborhood and choose to stay because of its many amenities – we are not walled up in our homes living in fear.

Again, thank you for taking the time to respond to my letter.

Regards

Shaun Carrick

Posted by Peter Hermann at 7:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Confronting crime
       Comments

As one whose court watch reports reach the editors of this crime blog, I want to thank the editors for reporting accurately about crime in Charles Village. My block is where a burglary gone bad turned into a stabbing last August and where Glen Davis was caught on a rooftop. I want to know about the crime in my neighborhood if only so that my fellow residents and I can be prepared to take the necessary precautions. And like it or not, there is a lot of crime in Charles Village. Some of it is because our neighborhood has a lot of Johns Hopkins students who come from areas where it is not as necessary to be aware of potential crime, and because those students are generally more affluent than much of the Baltimore population. I have heard statistics from the past that some crimes are more prevalent in Charles Village than in nearby Waverly, for example. And I would remind neighbors such as Shaun Carrick that the Charles Village Community Benefits District was formed originally to provide patrols against crime, even though its focus now has shifted much more to providing trash cans.

There are some of us who have lived in Charles Village for a long time and are more concerned about our quality of life than about creating perceptions that may result in higher property values. I have lived in my house since 1970 and have no intention of selling my house. Getting the repeat offenders off the streets is far more important to me than what I theoretically would be able to get if I sold my house.

In sum, I thank the Sun for reporting on crime in Charles Village. We have a problem, and we need to face it.

Posted by: Steve Gewirtz | November 11, 2011 8:37 AM

Concerned about your property value? Worried about not enough crime getting reported? Too little crime getting reported? Can't figure out what is going on in your own backyard?

Peter Hermann et al, are just one little source for what is going on in Baltimore City. The fine people in our local government have made much of the data available about all the crimes, all the 311 calls, all the parking tickets available to everyone at data.baltimorecity.gov . Feel free to do your own homework to figure out whether Waverly or Charles Village has more crime. If you think the reporting is wrong then make your own crime site and show everyone how the Sun is incorrect.

Posted by: Cham | November 11, 2011 10:15 AM

First and foremost, I love living in Charles Village, and one of the things I most appreciate is how vigilant our community is with crime and the group that shows up for trials of people who have committed a crime in Charles Village. I also appreciate your (Mr. Hermann's) coverage of our neighborhood. However, Shaun Carrick makes a good point I believe is often overlooked - the sentencing of criminals. I would love to see Judges' records. I think court leniency is a major contributor to the crime level of Baltimore, and a story that just screams EXPOSE. I think the police are (mostly) doing their jobs, the communities are doing their jobs, but individually, if you witness a crime, are you willing to show up in court knowing if convicted, the criminal will often walk away with time served or a probation sentence? That's hard to ask of anyone, as personal safety, and safety of your family, is at such risk.

To me, fix the courts, fix the problem of individual buy-in. And to fix the courts, we need to hold judges responsible and bring the legal system in Baltimore to light.

Posted by: Michael | November 11, 2011 11:06 AM

The Morgan man didn't say "a person a day" is murdered near Hopkins, he said , "every other day" and regardless, I think it's clear to the average reader that he wasn't being literal, but making a point about the frequency of crime there. By attacking the semantics, you undermine your own argument. Don't be so disingenuous.

----
Semantics or not, there actually hasn't been a single homicide (or, to the best of my knowledge, shootings) near Johns Hopkins University this year with the exception of a man found in a vehicle near Union Memorial, and it was certainly noted as such at the time of the report. -JF

Posted by: Ron | November 11, 2011 12:16 PM

For anyone who wonders why Charles Village gets a fair amount of attention, all you have to do is compare the amount of crime there to other "more violent" areas of Baltimore city. Use the city's crime map: http://www.baltimorepolice.org/your-community/crime-map

Sure, there may not be a murder there every week, but residents deal with thefts, burglaries, assaults and robberies there on an almost daily basis. That type of crime matters to residents, homeowners and renters alike (and there are a ton of renters in CV.)

Sorry, but in my view, CV has always had anywhere from a medium to a major crime problem, constantly buffeted by spree criminals who rob, steal and/or burglarize its residents.

Posted by: georgeofthejungle | November 11, 2011 12:27 PM

Is a person a day murdered near Hopkins? Let's assume "near" = < 1 mile radius from N39.3290 W76.6205(the center of the JHU Charles Village campus). Looking at the last 5 years worth of data, within that 1 mile radius there were 5 homicides in 2007, 6 homicides in 2008, 5 homicides in 2009, 6 homicides in 2010 and so far in 2011 there were 5 homicides. During that time there were 1774 days. A total of 27 homicides/1774 days = 0.015 homicides per day.

---
A mile radius is pretty generous, too. -JF

Posted by: Cham | November 11, 2011 1:23 PM

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About Peter HermannPeter Hermann started covering news for The Baltimore Sun in 1990, first in Anne Arundel County and, starting in 1994, reporting on the Baltimore Police Department. In 2001, he was assigned to Jerusalem as the Baltimore Sun's Middle East correspondent. He returned in 2005 as an assistant city editor overseeing crime coverage. In 2008, Peter returned to the beat as a daily reporter and blogger. A recent BBC report featured him in a segment on the harsh realities of covering crime in Baltimore.

Coverage will focus on crime trends, problems in neighborhoods in the city and elsewhere, profiles of victims and police officers and try to offer readers a fresh perspective on one of the most vexing issues facing Baltimore and its future.

Contributing to this blog is Justin Fenton, who joined The Sun in 2005 and has covered the Baltimore City Police Department and the criminal justice system since 2008. His work includes an investigation into Cal Ripken Jr.’s minor league baseball stadium deal with his hometown of Aberdeen, a three-part series chronicling a ruthless con woman, coverage of the killing of five Amish children at a schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pa., and a job swap with a British crime reporter to explore differences in crime-fighting. A special report looking into how city police handle rape cases led to sweeping reforms that changed the way sexual assaults are investigated in Baltimore. He was recognized as the best reporter in Baltimore by the City Paper in 2010 and by Baltimore Magazine in 2011. Follow @phscoop, @justin_fenton on TwitterSign up for local news text alertsSign up for the Breaking News newsletter -- ADVERTISEMENT --

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Northwest News: Is Occupy Portland's downtown encampment coming to an end?; epic storm lashes Alaska

The Oregonian front page for Nov. 10, 2011.Good morning, Northwest News readers. You're here to find out what's making headlines around the Pacific Northwest, right? Well, let's get down to business.

But first we'll review the rules of the road, so to speak. This daily news roundup comes courtesy of Oregonian staffers who scan regional news websites to bring you news we think you'll find interesting. We post snippets from the stories in italics and we always provide a link to the original story so you can check it out for yourself.

Time for some news.

We start with a look at the future of Occupy Portland. This morning's Oregonian reports that city officials are losing their patience with the downtown encampments. City Hall and business leaders are ready for Occupy Portland to pack up and leave Lownsdale and Chapman squares, reports staff writer Anne Saker.

Portland police even have a plan to clear out the parks once they get the go-ahead from City Hall.

Official Portland's patience has run out with the camp, which has shifted from political statement to open-air, acute-care facility for many homeless, mentally ill or drug-addicted men and women who have flocked to the squares for the free food, shelter and community. Crime has gone up around the area, and overtime for the police bureau hit $316,000 Wednesday.

Adams and Police Chief Mike Reese scheduled a news conference for 10 a.m. Thursday to discuss the city's next step.

The Bureau of Developmental Services sent seven citations about the squares to the Parks & Recreation Bureau, which cares for the spaces. The citations direct the parks bureau to stop the camping, remove human and other waste, cease the use of an electrical conduit as an overhead support for tarpaulins, remove all structures, cut off the generator and shut down noise-making machinery between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Now for news out of our chilly neighbor to the north. Alaska is getting walloped by a historic storm. We're talking hurricane-force winds and flooding. The Anchorage Daily News reports that the storm's prompted evacuations but so far, no one's been hurt.

There were reports of buildings damaged, roads under water and major beach erosion, and authorities emphasized Wednesday night that the worst hadn't necessarily passed, with water still rising in some communities and warnings still in effect through this morning.

In Nome, the largest city in the path of the storm, peak water levels arrived at about 6 p.m. and began a slow decline, the National Weather Service said.

Check out more news with a Northwest focus here:

Stories from today's edition of The Oregonian.

More of our headline picks from Northwest news sources. -- The Oregonian

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Burglary Suspects Spotted On Camera, Reward Offered

A series of surveillance pictures from Fairfield County may lead to an arrest and reward in the latest Crime Of The Week. (more)

The Central Ohio Crime Stoppers crime of the week involves a burglary in Fairfield County.

By: Andy Long
Published: November 20, 2011 »  Comments | Post a Comment

The Central Ohio Crime Stoppers crime of the week involves a burglary in Fairfield County.

According to Crime Stoppers, between 6:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. on October 28, a home on Cherry Lane in Baltimore, Ohio was burglarized.

Security video shows two men driving a dark gray Honda Accord onto the property, walking on the porch and carrying items from the home.

Stolen items included several firearms, computers, gaming consoles, and other electronic devices, Crime Stoppers said.

Police said they believe that the suspects are possibly involved in other area residential burglaries.

Central Ohio Crime Stoppers has posted a reward of up to $2,000 for any information received by November 30, 2011, leading to the arrest and/or indictment of the persons responsible for this crime.  Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS (8477) or go to  www.stopcrime.org and e-mail your tip.   You can text a tip to “CRIMES” 274637, keyword CMH. 

For additional information, stay with NBC4 and refresh nbc4i.com.
To submit a story idea or news tip, e-mail stories@nbc4i.com.

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News of the Weird:

At press time, Melinda Arnold, 34, was waiting to hear whether her mother would be accepted as an organ donor for her daughter -- with the organ being the mom's womb. Melinda (a nurse from Melbourne, Australia) was born without one (though with healthy ovaries and eggs), and if the transplant by Swedish surgeon Mats Brannstrom of Gothenburg University is successful, and Melinda later conceives, her baby will be nurtured in the very same uterus in which Melinda, herself, was nurtured. (Womb transplants have been performed in rats and, with limited success, from a deceased human donor.) [Daily Mail (London, 10-18-2011]

Government in Action

A British manufacturer, BCB International, is flourishing, buoyed by sales of its Kevlar underwear, at $65 a pair, to U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan and Iraq. However, soldiers and Marines must buy them directly; the "Bomb Boxers" are not supplied by the Pentagon even though nearly 10 percent of battlefield explosive-device injuries result in sometimes-catastrophic genital and rectal damage. According to an October report in Talking Points Memo, the Pentagon's currently issued protection is inferior to BCB's but is less expensive. (Although the Pentagon fully funds post-injury prostheses and colostomies, it could purchase about 7,700 Bomb Boxers for the price of a single Tomahawk missile.) [Talking Points Memo, 10-18-2011]

In what a cement company executive said is "one of those bureaucratic things that doesn't make any sense," the city of Detroit recently built wheelchair ramps at 13 intersections along Grandy Street, despite knowing that those ramps are either not connected to sidewalks or connected to seldom-used, badly crumbling sidewalks. The ramps were required by a 2006 lawsuit settlement in which Detroit pledged to build ramps on any street that gets re-paved, as Grandy was. (No one in city government thought, apparently, to attempt a trade of these 13 intersections for paving 13 more-widely used ones in the city.) [Detroit News, 10-28-2011]

A Chicago Tribune/WGN-TV investigation revealed in September and October the astonishing result that Illinois laws passed in 1997 and 2007 at the behest of organized labor have given at least three former union leaders lifetime government pensions as if they had been city or state employees, totaling an estimated drain on public budgets of about $7 million. Two teachers' union officials were allowed to teach exactly one day to qualify, and an engineers' union official was hired for exactly one day, with the remainder of the service of the three having been on the payroll of the respective unions. A September Tribune report estimated that perhaps 20 other union officials might have been eligible under similar provisions. [Chicago Tribune, 9-21-2011, 10-22-2011]

Great Art!

It was haute couture meeting haute cuisine at the Communication Museum in Berlin in November, as prominent German chef Roland Trettl introduced his fashions (displayed on live models) made from food, including a tunic of octopus, a miniskirt of seaweed, a trouser suit made with lean bacon, a scarf of squid ink pasta, and a hat woven from lettuce. The museum director (presumably without irony) said the items were "provocative" and "raise(d) questions." [Agence France-Presse, 11-1-2011]

Veteran New York City performance artist Marni Kotak, 36, gave birth to her first child, Ajax, on Oct. 25 -- and that was her "art," as the birth took place at the Microscope Gallery in Brooklyn, N.Y., after Kotak had moved into the space two weeks earlier to interact with visitors. Previously, Kotak had "re-enacted," as her "art," both her own birth and the loss of her virginity in the back seat of a car. (A New York Times report suggested that Kotak may not be the most extreme performer in her family. Her artist-husband, Jason Martin, makes videos in which he dresses as a wolf or dog and "conducts seance-like rituals intended to contact the half-animal, half-human creatures that visited him in dreams as a child.") [New York Post, 10-8-2011; New York Times, 10-30-2011]

Police Report

Cutting-Edge Policing: Officials in Prince George's County, Md., reported that crime had fallen as much as 23 percent during the first nine months of 2011 -- the result, they said, of holding meetings with 67 of the most likely recidivist offenders in five neighborhoods and sweet-talking them. The 67 were offered help in applying for various government and volunteer programs, but were told they would be watched more closely by patrols. [WUSA-TV (Washington, D.C.), 9-28-2011]

Milestone: Joseph Wilson, 50, was chased by police and arrested in Port St. Lucie, Fla., in October and charged with shoplifting from a Beall's department store. It was his 100th arrest -- although prosecutors are batting only .353 against him (35-for-99). (Wilson's getaway was delayed when he jumped into the passenger seat of an idling SUV and ordered the driver to "Take off!" but the driver did not.) [WPBF-TV (Palm Beach) via MSNBC, 10-7-2011]

Points for Style:

Police in Corpus Christi, Texas, looked to the public for help in October to find the man who, according to surveillance video of a city agency building, stole three surveillance cameras (not the recording units, just the cameras) by lassoing them from their perches near the ceiling. [Corpus Christi Caller-Times, 10-12-2011]

Theresa Mejia, held in the Burlington, Wash., police station on kidnapping charges, climbed through a ceiling vent in a dramatic escape attempt, traversing the entire length of the building before officers knew where she was. (However, that put her directly over the police chief's office, and she crashed through to the floor.) [Seattle Weekly, 10-19-2011]

The Aristocrats!

Owen Kato, 23, was arrested following a police report in Port Charlotte, Fla., of a man grossing out customers by standing beside the entrance to a McDonald's for about 10 minutes, popping his pimples with his fingers. [Fort Myers News-Press, 8-9-2011]

A man unnamed in a news story was charged on July 24 with resisting arrest (for trespassing) by failing to put his hands behind his back. According to the Destin, Fla., police report, the man explained, "I can't put my hands behind my back because I'm making a bowel movement (in my pants)." (According to the report, that was true.) [Northwest Florida Daily News, 8-10-2011]

Least Competent Criminals

Brent Morgan, 20, was arrested in Prince George, British Columbia, in October on three counts related to the attempted theft of a Corvette. Morgan had seen the car in a driveway, jumped in and locked the doors. However, the owner had been in the process of charging the battery, which was still too weak for the car to start and for the door locks to continue working. Feeling trapped and sensing that the owner had called the police, Morgan panicked and began using any available tool inside the car to smash the window. According to the police report, officers arrived just as Morgan had broken open the driver's side window, but too late for Morgan to realize that he could have exited the car by manually lifting the door lock with his fingers. [The Citizen (Prince George), 10-24-2011]

Recent Alarming Headlines

"Maine Woman Loses Lawsuit Over Removal of Husband's Brain" (Bangor Daily News, 9-26-2011). "Condoms Rushed to Thai Flood Victims" (Agence France-Presse, 10-5-2011). "Killer Sharks Invade Golf Course in Australia" (Sky News [London], 10-9-2011). "Lingerie Football League Wants to Start a Youth League" (King5.com [KING-TV, Seattle], 10-20-2011). "Man Uncooperative After Being Stabbed in Scrotum With Hypodermic Needle" (Wichita Eagle, 10-10-2011).

A News of the Weird Classic (May 1991)

Wanda Webb Holloway, 36, was arrested in January (1991) for putting out a murder contract on a Channelview, Texas, woman. Holloway thought killing the mother of her 13-year-old daughter's arch rival would cause the rival to quit the junior high cheerleader squad in grief, making way for the Holloway girl's selection. Reportedly, Holloway imagined the other girl's death, too, but realized that she could only afford one contract. (Holloway's story spawned two TV movies. She was convicted of soliciting murder, but the verdict was overturned, and she eventually pleaded guilty in exchange for a 10-year sentence, of which she served six months.) [Reuters, 2-1-1991; Abilene Reporter-News, 3-1-1997 (via Wikipedia)]

Thanks This Week to Telaraj Webster, Arpad Miklos, John Connell, Andrew Hastie, Karin Lillis, and Kevin Corwin, and to the News of the Weird Board of Editorial Advisors.

(And for the accomplished and joyous cynic, try News of the Weird Pro Edition, at http://NewsoftheWeird.blogspot.com.)

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PSNI may use drones

Police in Northern Ireland may be considering using unmanned aerial drones to help tackle crime.

It is understood the force is considering the use of the mini drones to help combat crime, including the ongoing threat posed by dissident republicans.

The units, made by Canadian firm Aeryon Labs, are fitted with a camera that has the ability to automatically track suspects — relaying live pictures back to the ground.

Fitting into a rucksack, the drones can be assembled and deployed quickly and can reach speeds of over 30mph.

Aeryon Labs drones in Libya

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