Police Captain Discusses Community Partnership, Crime Trends

As Main Street activists work to revitalize Reisterstown’s historic commercial district, the local police precinct is pledging its support.

Capt. Matthew McElwee, who spoke at Tuesday night’s Reisterstown Improvement Association meeting, has assigned community outreach Officer Rod Willis to keep tabs on Main Street developments and attend meetings. The captain also plans to attend Monday morning Main Street meetings when he is available.

McElwee, commander of Baltimore County Police’s Franklin Precinct, spoke about how the precinct and its statistics have changed since he took over in Jan. 2010.

“We had seen an uptick in commercial activity as far as robberies, first-degree burglaries,” McElwee said of the years before his takeover. “Overtime budgets were spiking.”

Prior to his arrival, there was an average of 79-85 robberies annually. That number was reduced to 36 in 2010 and 2011, and although there were 50 robberies in 2012, that number is still below historic averages.

In response to recent crime trends, McElwee said he has devoted additional patrols and resources from the CAT Squad (community action team) to certain troublesome times, such as Friday nights.

He also spoke about police-community relations, and noted that his precinct has a great relationship with the county executive’s office as well as Councilwoman Vicki Almond and other local legislators.

“The police department is only one part of a collaborative effort,” he said.