Press Room

City police team with housing authority to remove trash

The Capital, August 7, 2007

by Shantee Woodards, Staff Writer

designer bag
Joshua McKerrow - The Capital
Det. David Stokes holds open a garbage bag for some neighborhood children as Annapolis Police and volunteers pick up trash in Robinwood. At left is Alderman Sam Shropshire.

The orders were to rid the area of all trash, no matter how big or how small.

And city police, with the help of city officials and the Annapolis Housing Authority, did just that as they strolled through four neighborhoods last week.

The cleanup project was a joint effort between city police and the housing authority to show they do more in the community than just making arrests.

On Aug. 1, a group of seven, including Alderman Sam Shropshire, D-Ward 7, went to Robinwood, Annapolis Gardens, Bowman Court and Newtowne 20.

They are coordinating another effort sometime within the next month and hope to get more participation from residents.

"The goal was to show residents that officers care about more than coming down there and arresting people," said Officer Hal Dalton, a spokesman for city police. "We want to make a difference and help improve neighborhoods."

Anita Jackson, the housing authority's director of public safety, coordinated the event with Officer Duane Daniels, who regularly patrols public housing communities. Five more - officers Joseph Ridley and Chuck Parker, Lt. Cynthia Howard, Det. Shelley White and Mr. Shropshire - joined the task, which included removing an abandoned refrigerator from a neighborhood.

A few young people saw the group and joined in with the litter removal, but there was little interest from adults in the communities, officials said.

"Maybe people didn't come out and help because they didn't know we were coming," Ms. Jackson said. "We want to put the word out early that we're going to come and see if that makes a difference."

This isn't the first time city police have worked with the housing authority.

Through the police department, Det. White and his wife run a basketball camp for children who live in public housing.

Each year, the department also helps with a back-to-school event at Annapolis Gardens, where officers distribute school supplies and anti-drug material.

Residents said the clean ups are a good effort, but more needs to be done to stop crime.

Philip Coleman, a longtime resident of the Clay Street community, said he would like to see officials doing more activities that affect young people.

"What they really need to concentrate on is slowing these guns and drugs down from coming into the city," Mr. Coleman said. "They could probably look at getting jobs or programs to get the youth off the streets and get them into constructive things instead of standing on the corner."

Published August 07, 2007, The Capital, Annapolis, Md.
Copyright © 2007 The Capital, Annapolis, Md.