On May 28, 2022, at 2:41 am, a man was robbed at gunpoint in the 800 block of Chesapeake Avenue in Eastport. He was approached by a man with a handgun who relieved him of several credit cards and other property.
This section of Chesapeake is between State Street and Americana Drive and contains many single and double-family homes as well as the Eastport Post Office. It is a well-lit, well-traveled street leading into downtown. Some might even consider it “safe.”
Don’t take my word for it. Captain Klinedinst from the Annapolis Police Department recounted the crime in the City’s weekly Annapolis United community update last week.
Here’s his part:
Great news! The Annapolis Police Department got a bad guy off the street.
The problem is that the public was never made aware of the armed robbery in the first place.
If you look at the publicly released police reports for June 1, June 2, June 3 or June 6th. There is no mention of an armed robbery. None.
Let’s face it, crime is a political hot potato for Annapolis Mayor Buckley right now. Especially when it occurs in areas that typically do not see a lot of crime. Like the 800 block of Chesapeake Avenue.
According to the Annapolis Police the only publicly reportable crime in that block this year was the theft of an Amazon package on May 12th. In 2021, nothing was reported. 2020–nothing. 2019–two thefts from unlocked autos and one theft of a package. Based on this, one might assume that Chesapeake Avenue is relatively safe.
But on May 28th, that assumption was flawed.
Annapolis depends on tourism and an increase in crime would definitely have a negative impact on that. But, is hiding crime the answer? Does that actually solve anything? Or do we just schedule the standard press conference when some visitor becomes homicide victim #2 for 2022?
[bctt tweet=”Or do we just schedule the standard press conference when some visitor becomes homicide victim #2 for 2022?” username=”eyeonannapolis”]
I can’t begin to tell you how many times Annapolis Police Chief Jackson has said, “If you see something, say something.” In fact, Ward One Alderwoman Elly Tierney just repeated it today in a newsletter she sent out.
Well, Chief, I saw something, and now I am saying something.
If we do not know there could be a problem, how are we to become partners with the police in solving the problem? Unlike Anne Arundel County, citizens cannot even monitor public dispatch communications frequencies via a scanner or scanner app because the Annapolis Police Department encrypts their communications.
The police talk about being partners with the community. The Mayor and Chief are all about “community policing.” Well, there’s another word that starts with “comm,” and that is “communication.” Quite simply, without communication, there is no partnership. Can you imagine two police officers (partners on patrol) who didn’t communicate?
The Annapolis Police Department needs to start communicating with the community because, when it comes to letting the community know about an armed robbery by a man who has been arrested for armed robbery before– “Whoops, sorry, my bad,” will only cut it until someone becomes the latest homicide victim.
