When Baltimore Police Commissioner Edward T. Norris quit in December to head the Maryland State Police, he promised to dispatch a phalanx of troopers to help the city battle crime.
The offer drew praise from City Hall officials angry over Norris’ unexpected departure, the Baltimore Sun reports. The city police administration was delighted.
But no extra troopers have been assigned so far to Baltimore’s crime-fighting efforts. “I’m disappointed,” said Delegate Tony E. Fulton, who proposed expanding state police authority but withdrew the bill at the urging of Norris and Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. The legislation would have made it easier for troopers to work in the city.
Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley, who stated in January that troopers would soon be working in Baltimore, said he didn’t know why the deal apparently fell through. State police officials declined to comment.