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Police Maj. Scott L. Bloodsworth stands on Charles Street in Federal Hill as the crowd of revelers swells. It's Friday, just before midnight, and already many patrons have had too much to drink. Outside Noble's Bar, a giddy young woman screams and runs into the open arms of a friend, sending both crashing to the pavement.
Bloodsworth, who commands the Southern District, watches his officers watch the partyers. He has officers strategically placed along Charles and Cross streets, on blocks dominated by the biggest and most popular taverns, and near a bank machine and a parking garage.
"For me, to have five extra police down here in these economic times is critical," Bloodsworth said, talking about the need to be tolerant and allow people to have a good time, but also to know when to crack down. "It's good for people to see someone leave here in handcuffs every once in a while. It tells them that when they go too far, there are consequences."
The extra officers come from a unique pool to which several Federal Hill bar owners contribute. The pool gives Bloodsworth (and other commanders, if it's successfully duplicated elsewhere in the city) control over how the overtime force is used and how the officers are deployed.
Until last November, bar owners could hire their own off-duty officers, but the police commissioner put a stop to that practice, concerned that officers were tied too closely to the liquor establishments and acted as private armed doormen instead of helping to protect the larger community.
But when the ban took effect and the extra officers disappeared, Bloodsworth had another headache. Vagrants and pickpockets targeted visitors and left police scrambling to fill the void by pulling officers from other neighborhoods such as Brooklyn and Cherry Hill.
"It was a significant problem," Bloodsworth said as he walked around Cross Street Market late Friday into early Saturday. "We had a lot of fights. It ate up resources. And that was just to keep it quiet. If something happened, add three more police cars to the mix."
The new plan started in August with the help of the owner of Ryleigh's Oyster Bar, who formed a consortium to collect money to pay for the overtime. The bars have put in more than $100,000 since August.
Some owners, such as Mad River's Eric Leatherman, are not happy with the new system, which costs them money but gives them no direct say in how the officers are used. Top police officials complained that the officers working directly for the bars too often leaned against walls, in uniform but without their hats, and sometimes ignored crimes just up the street because their "bosses" frowned upon them walking away from their post or getting involved with something that didn't directly affect their bar.
But Bloodsworth is happy to have regained command of the overtime officers, who can now act more like police than private security. He puts an officer on the block in front of each bar that contributes to the fund, but the officers now patrol instead of standing guard at the door, and they answer to their commander instead of the person holding the liquor license.
"I understand that everyone wants control," Bloodsworth said of the frustration expressed by Leatherman last week. "He's a bit miffed because my guys are moving his crowds now."
Bloodsworth wants his officers walking and, most of all, visible. He complains that when he used to drive up Charles, he couldn't tell an officer was outside a bar until he was almost on top of him. Early Saturday, the major stood on Light Street and looked up Cross Street to see the silhouette of a hat coming toward him.
"He's a block away, and I can tell he's police," Bloodsworth said. To him, it was a sign that the extra-duty officers are now properly supervised and doing real police work.
Bloodsworth, who commands the Southern District, watches his officers watch the partyers. He has officers strategically placed along Charles and Cross streets, on blocks dominated by the biggest and most popular taverns, and near a bank machine and a parking garage.
"For me, to have five extra police down here in these economic times is critical," Bloodsworth said, talking about the need to be tolerant and allow people to have a good time, but also to know when to crack down. "It's good for people to see someone leave here in handcuffs every once in a while. It tells them that when they go too far, there are consequences."
The extra officers come from a unique pool to which several Federal Hill bar owners contribute. The pool gives Bloodsworth (and other commanders, if it's successfully duplicated elsewhere in the city) control over how the overtime force is used and how the officers are deployed.
Until last November, bar owners could hire their own off-duty officers, but the police commissioner put a stop to that practice, concerned that officers were tied too closely to the liquor establishments and acted as private armed doormen instead of helping to protect the larger community.
But when the ban took effect and the extra officers disappeared, Bloodsworth had another headache. Vagrants and pickpockets targeted visitors and left police scrambling to fill the void by pulling officers from other neighborhoods such as Brooklyn and Cherry Hill.
"It was a significant problem," Bloodsworth said as he walked around Cross Street Market late Friday into early Saturday. "We had a lot of fights. It ate up resources. And that was just to keep it quiet. If something happened, add three more police cars to the mix."
The new plan started in August with the help of the owner of Ryleigh's Oyster Bar, who formed a consortium to collect money to pay for the overtime. The bars have put in more than $100,000 since August.
Some owners, such as Mad River's Eric Leatherman, are not happy with the new system, which costs them money but gives them no direct say in how the officers are used. Top police officials complained that the officers working directly for the bars too often leaned against walls, in uniform but without their hats, and sometimes ignored crimes just up the street because their "bosses" frowned upon them walking away from their post or getting involved with something that didn't directly affect their bar.
But Bloodsworth is happy to have regained command of the overtime officers, who can now act more like police than private security. He puts an officer on the block in front of each bar that contributes to the fund, but the officers now patrol instead of standing guard at the door, and they answer to their commander instead of the person holding the liquor license.
"I understand that everyone wants control," Bloodsworth said of the frustration expressed by Leatherman last week. "He's a bit miffed because my guys are moving his crowds now."
Bloodsworth wants his officers walking and, most of all, visible. He complains that when he used to drive up Charles, he couldn't tell an officer was outside a bar until he was almost on top of him. Early Saturday, the major stood on Light Street and looked up Cross Street to see the silhouette of a hat coming toward him.
"He's a block away, and I can tell he's police," Bloodsworth said. To him, it was a sign that the extra-duty officers are now properly supervised and doing real police work.
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