Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake first tells the police to stand down, tells the rioters she is giving them space to destroy, doesn't support the police and complains about the rise in crime. She then can't understand why FEMA is declining to help pay for the damage caused by rioters ("FEMA denies state request for disaster aid to cover Baltimore riot costs," June 19).
Then it becomes obvious from her recent statements on TV and in the press she is putting pressure on Police Commissioner Anthony Batts to do something about the police officers who choose to react to crime instead of being proactive to crime. Mr. Batts seems to confirm this by making statements to The Sun in an on-ped about how he will hold police accountable for not doing their job.
Since when do police have to risk their career by stopping some known criminal, to inquire why they might be in dark alley with a crowbar ready to break into someone's home?
When the mayor stops telling the police how to police and shows some support for the police then and only then will the city crime rate be corrected. It might also help if she would hire a police commissioner that knows Baltimore City problems and not one who is her lap dog.
J. Michael Collins, Reisterstown