{"id":119155,"date":"2021-06-03T10:00:12","date_gmt":"2021-06-03T14:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewishtimes.com\/?p=119155"},"modified":"2021-06-03T10:01:13","modified_gmt":"2021-06-03T14:01:13","slug":"as-volunteers-and-professionals-baltimore-jews-work-to-prevent-crime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishtimes.com\/as-volunteers-and-professionals-baltimore-jews-work-to-prevent-crime\/","title":{"rendered":"As volunteers and professionals, Baltimore Jews work to prevent crime"},"content":{"rendered":"
Is it safe to step outside your home and walk the streets of Baltimore? The question has come to the fore following a number of violent crimes during the spring, and local Jewish institutions and community members are stepping up to help prevent crime and build a secure community.<\/p>\n
The state of crime in Baltimore County and City<\/strong><\/p>\n In Baltimore County, there is some good news when it comes to crime, said Baltimore County Police Chief Melissa Hyatt<\/a>, who is Jewish.<\/p>\n \u201cIn Baltimore County, overall, our Part 1 crime statistics are down this year compared to this time last year,\u201d Hyatt said. \u201cThe first four months of the year, our robberies were down about 30%, aggravated assaults were down about 7%, burglaries were down approximately 22%, car thefts were down 8%.\u201d<\/p>\n Others painted a gloomier picture.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just had a murder here in the neighborhood less than three weeks ago,\u201d said Nathan Willner, general counsel for the Baltimore Shomrim Safety Patrol, on May 26, in reference to Efraim Gordon\u2019s murder<\/a>. Gordon, an Israeli, was visiting Baltimore on May 3 for a cousin\u2019s wedding when he was killed. Willner also noted that recent weeks had seen a number of other violent crimes, including an armed robbery and a carjacking.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile it\u2019s not an everyday event that we have crimes of that magnitude, it\u2019s definitely been concerning over the last several weeks, of an increase in violent crime in the neighborhood,\u201d said Willner, who lives in Cheswolde.<\/p>\n Howard Libit<\/a>, executive director of the Baltimore Jewish Council, also said the last several weeks have seen an increase in homicides and other types of crime.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s certainly a challenging time for crime, particularly in Baltimore City,\u201d Libit said. \u201cI don\u2019t think anyone would deny that.\u201d<\/p>\n Willner primarily attributed the surge to the warming weather and receding pandemic, as both encourage residents to spend more time outside their homes, creating more opportunities for criminal behavior. He suspected that the crime rate may climb even higher with the arrival of summer.<\/p>\n Willner sees these recent events as part of a longer trend going back at least two decades.<\/p>\n Willner believes that the Jewish community is now more on edge and anxious. Residents are more cautious about walking alone or checking that their doors are locked.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery resident of Baltimore, as well as our visitors, should feel safe at home, at work, at play \u2013 at any time of the day or night,\u201d said Del. Sandy Rosenberg<\/a> (D-41) in an email. \u201cThat was not the case for the members of the community who were victimized by juveniles or more grievously, for Efraim Gordon, who was shot to death while here from Israel for a family wedding.\u201d<\/p>\n