A specialized police unit responsible for cracking down on criminals in some of Baltimore's toughest neighborhoods officially received a new home yesterday that was dedicated to the memory of one of that group's officers who was killed in the line of duty.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Edward T. Norris, Mayor Martin O'Malley and other officials said that the new headquarters of the 82-member unit -- known as the Firearms Apprehension Strike Team -- was more than just a building. It symbolized the city's effort to reduce violent crime and get guns off the street.
"It's a terrific building for a terrific unit," Norris said.
The building in the 700 block of W. North Ave., formerly a pharmacy, was donated to the city by California-based Tricap Management Inc., officials said. Several contractors, including Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse Inc. and Knott Mechanical, contributed free services to renovate the building. Officers moved into their new headquarters about three weeks ago.
Norris named the unit's headquarters in memory of Officer Michael J. Cowdery Jr., a member of the Eastern District initiative, who was killed during a drug arrest in March last year. The Eastern District initiative was a forerunner of the Mobile Enforcement Team, a unit of nearly 70 officers within FAST.
Cowdery's father, who attended the ceremony, said he was honored that the building would bear his son's name.
"It means very much to me," Michael J. Cowdery Sr. said. "It's a glowing tribute to his memory, dignity and character."
The FAST unit was started several months ago as a small group of detectives who targeted drug dealers and specialized in seizing handguns, and it now includes the Mobile Enforcement Team. This year, FAST has been responsible for seizing 557 handguns and making 2,516 felony drug arrests. The unit's detectives also broke up a major PCP lab in Northwest Baltimore last month.
Before they moved into the renovated 5,500-square-foot headquarters, the specialized officers shared office space in other districts and often worked out of their cars.
"This is a beautiful building," said Maj. Anthony Barksdale, the unit's commander.
Much of the unit's energy has been focused on trying to stem violence in the Eastern District, which has seen a spike in homicides this year. In the first six months, homicides in the Eastern District were up 84 percent compared to the first six months of last year. The pace of the increase has slowed -- to 70 percent through November and 50 percent through last week.
The district has recorded 58 homicides this year. Last year, the district recorded 39 killings. Citywide, Baltimore is even with last year's homicide pace, with 245 recorded through yesterday.