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Maryland

Community involvement is key to stopping crime, activists say

BALTIMORE - Unfortunately Baltimore is known for its violence.

You see it on the streets, and it's also glorified nationwide on TV shows.

But despite the tragedy that the city sees almost daily, there is a section of the community where Baltimore is known for its peace.

Tragedy inspired Toni Clatt to help others find that peace.

"The father of my child was murdered in March and a couple of people in my neighborhood were I'm sorry about that but the world keeps spinning and it's normal nowadays." She says.

Clatt is part of the Computer for Guns initiative.

Bring in a gun and get a laptop.

“We figure that if you want the violence to stop you have to give people something, so we want to give them computers and workshops to use the computers to find another way other than violence." Lance Lucas of digitallsystems.org says.

Presence.

Getting involved to make things better, that's what police say is the key to community policing.

This past weekend in Baltimore was one of the worst in years; 21 shot, eight dead.

Fighting crime is more a partnership, than just policing.

An active community police say is one that has less crime.

"What I'm hoping to see is that some synergy gets built here and we're each community working together maybe the schools working with the businesses the faith based community we can drive out all those components of those communities that we don't want but as long as we stay behind our locked doors where ever those doors are, church home business we're not going to see change." BPD Lieutenant Colonel Marvin Russell says. Russell is in charge of the department's community partnership program.

It's Change that can help save lives.

Getting involved,

Being shot on the street isn't normal and should never be accepted

"It's not okay for our kids to be in fear it's not okay for them to think this is normal and it's okay I would rather put a computer in a young child's arms so they can learn how to get a job instead of going and taking someone else's life." Clatt says.

For more information about the Computers for Guns program you can go to www.digitallsystems.org

This weekend two events will be held to try to create more community involvement.

There will be a bike party this Friday at seven at the Washington Monument where riders will tour several city neighborhoods.

And on Saturday morning the police will help sponsor a Prayer Motorcade throughout the city. They'll stop at crime hotspots around town. That starts Saturday morning at nine in front of police headquarters downtown.

http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/region/baltimore_city/community-involvement-is-key-to-stopping-crime-activists-say

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4 L.A. Officers Shot in Separate Attacks

by ROBERT JABLON

Four officers were shot in two separate attacks on Los Angeles law enforcement, leading to a manhunt in one case and a SWAT response to a barricaded suspect in the other.

In the first shooting, a black-clad gunman ambushed two undercover detectives returning to a police station early Tuesday.

Police Chief Charlie Beck described the shooting as an attempted assassination and mobilized a huge search involving helicopters, dogs and about 200 officers. The officers' wounds didn't prevent them from aiding the hunt for the attacker. Police still had not found the suspect early Wednesday.

Police initially cordoned off 25 square blocks of the Mid-City area of Los Angeles, leaving thousands of residents stranded in homes and forcing drivers to find detours for their morning commutes.

Later in the day, the search focused on a neighborhood just south of the LAPD's Wilshire substation, where the attack occurred.

At least 10 people were detained for questioning and released. Police also planned to look at surveillance video from homes and businesses.

One officer suffered a minor wound to the back of his head, either from a bullet graze or debris from the damaged car, officials said. The other had an injury to the back of his hand.

Across town Tuesday evening a police officer aiding in a probation check near South Los Angeles was shot in the face and the gunman barricaded himself inside a home.

The officer was hospitalized in stable condition Tuesday night and will require surgery, according to Los Angeles Police Cmdr. Andrew Smith. Television footage from the scene showed the victim awake and sitting up as he was loaded into an ambulance following the shooting on 117th Street in the Willowbrook area.

A probation officer suffered a minor graze wound to his leg. He was treated at the scene.

The two officers were carrying out a search of the house when they encountered the gunman, who opened fire, Smith said.

At least five officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect.

The officers were part of a unit conducting a parole-probation search of the home in an area patrolled by the LA County Sheriff's Department, the Los Angeles Times said.

Dozens of police officers including a SWAT team with snipers surrounded the home. Negotiators were talking to the gunman. Several surrounding homes were evacuated.

Officials said the two incidents did not appear to be connected.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/ambushed-la-detectives-minor-wounds-19482034#.UcrZGfLD85s

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