Community reacts to Baltimore Police Commissioner’s call to end ‘stop snitching’ culture
By Paul Gessler
Click here for updates on this story
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison plead with the community Tuesday to help police bring violent criminals to justice.
“It will require people who are out there standing right there when crimes are committed to help us hold those people accountable. Because, if nothing changes, then nothing changes,” Harrison said.
Harrison detailed the work of detectives in recent cases despite the lack of help from witnesses in particular.
“And not only not attempting to stop this behavior, but also being very uncooperative in helping us hold these cowardly criminals accountable,” Harrison said.
The culture of silence dates back decades in Baltimore, but rose to notoriety following the 2004 ‘Stop Snitching’ DVD.
“A lot of lives have been ruined because of that video,” Corey Moore of West Baltimore said Wednesday. “It’s been in us not to snitch, not to tell. They might see someone get killed right in front of them and they’d mind their business.”
For many who spoke with WJZ Wednesday, not cooperating with police is often viewed as a survival instinct.
“It’s signing a death warrant. There ain’t no protection,” Larry Taylor said.
University of Baltimore criminologist Dr. Jeffrey Ian Ross told WJZ fixing the culture is an uphill climb, but trust in police is critical in cooperation.
“They don’t have time to build those police-community relations, which are extremely difficult to build and very easy to destroy,” Dr. Ross said. “I don’t think there’s any reason to believe the ‘Stop Snitching’ culture has decreased.”
The “Code of Silence” is not limited to the streets. A culture of silence among police was laid out in multiple reports in recent years, from the 2016 BPD Department of Justice report to this year’s Gun Trace Task Force report.
To submit a tip on violent crime, you can remain anonymous via Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7LOCKUP.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
