Crime Watch

A Crime Watch number, also known as a “Block Watch” number, is a unique, seven-digit number issued to you by the Baltimore Police Department. It allows you to anonymously report suspicious activity. If you use the number when you call 911, the operator will not ask for your name, address, etc. and the responding officers will not contact you to follow-up.  A Crime Watch number can also be used when reporting non-criminal, non-urgent issues to 311.  You can obtain a Crime watch number and more information about the program here.

Citizens on Patrol

Citizens on Patrol are groups of concerned community members who work with neighbors to act as the “eyes and ears” of the neighborhood, patrolling the area a few times per week and reporting any suspicious activity to the police.  Current York Road Partnership communities with active C.O.P. programs are: Lake Walker, Lake Evesham, Richnor Springs, and Homeland.  If you or your community organization is interested in starting a C.O.P. program please contact the Operation Crime Watch Liaisons at (443) 984-2371 or (443) 984-9521, or visit this website.

Contacts

The York Road Partnership is in the Northern District of Baltimore City’s Police Department. The Northern District holds Community Council meetings that are open to the public, the third Wednesday of every other month. The meetings are typically at the Northern District Police Headquarters, 2201 W. Cold Spring Lane. Contact Sgt. Ron Morales Jr., Officer James Barnett, or Officer Doug Gibson with any questions: 410-367-8491.

Pedestrian and Transportation Safety

Over the summer of 2014 Loyola student Laurent Heery, with the support of a Kolvenbach award, conducted research on pedestrian and traffic safety from a public health perspective. Pedestrian safety and street improvement for traffic calming and transportation ease are areas of great interest for the York Road community as various committees and organizations related to the YRP are engaged in Complete Streets, streetscaping, and safety related projects. Lauren’s  presentation can be found here.

Block Captain Training

This person is an integral component to keeping the block actively involved in crime prevention efforts as well as the important process of information exchange between neighbors. A block captain assists in the improved communication between neighbors, aiding to bolster the neighborhood association, engage the community for National Night Out, facilitates the unity, distributes information, and coordinates activities.

Our community partner Greater Homewood Community Corporation offers a block captain training program. From GHCC’s webiste: “GHCC’s Block Captain Training program is among the best in Baltimore. Our staff works closely with residents to map out a system of blocks and identify captains for each one. Our Block Captain curriculum consists of block organizing, running effective meetings, addressing common quality of life concerns including strategic code enforcement”. Check out the link above to look into Block Captain training options!

More Resources

Operation Crime Watch Citizen Application

YRP safety packet: Comprehensive safety packet with information about 311, crime watch, burglary and larceny from auto prevention, senior services, updated contact information from the Northern District police force, and more!

The following presentation is based on public safety related research conducted between November 2013 and November 214 in the York Road catchment area.