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It?s not the numbers ? nearly 100,000 arrests last year. It?s the policy ? or lack of it, according to criminologists.

They say the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit against the city over alleged illegal arrests is a fight about policy, not just numbers. And while the city?s arrest rate is higher than those inWashington, New York City or Philadelphia, experts said the real question is: Does arresting 1 in 6 residents reduce crime and improve the quality of life in the city?

"No one?s working towards vision; they?re just working for statistical change. All the arrests in the world don?t make a better community," said Sheldon Greenberg, a professor at Johns Hopkins University and an expert on criminal justice police. Greenberg, who is also a former Howard County police officer, said part of the problem is the arrests are not linked to a specific strategy. "Baltimore needs a plan that is linked to the longterm viability of neighborhood," he said.

But other experts said that while the number of arrests don?t tell the whole story, they?re still an important measure of how the city police department is trying to fight crime.

"Baltimore has a very high arrest rate based on the number of people that live in the city," said David Parrish, a consultant hired by the state to study the city?s central booking facility. Parrish, who runs the prison system in Hillsboro, Fla., said the department?s arrest policy may contribute to the high numbers. "During my study, I heard a new term called ?abated by arrest.? It was used to explain how they took care of the problem by moving the person from the community," Parrish said.

Tyrone Powers, a criminal justice expert and professor at Anne Arundel County Community College, said aggressive arrest policies cut officers off from the community, and make it difficult to fight crime in the long term.

"What most police departments have recognized is that you need a good working relationship with the community to fight crime effectively," Powers said. "Aggressive arrest policies do not lower crime in the long run."

Matt Jablow, spokesman for the Baltimore Police Department, said officers make arrest decisions based on their own judgment.

"The Police Department shares the expectation of Baltimore City residents that police officers will make an arrest when they determine that there is probable cause to believe that a crime has been committed," he said.

According to the city State?s Attorney Office, Baltimore?s arrest rate of almost 1 for every 6 residents is exceptionally high. For example, Philadelphia makes 1 arrest for every 21 residents.

But beyond Baltimore?s higher arrest rate is the release rate. Baltimore?s number of arrests not prosecuted is high, according to ACLU lawyer Mitch Karlan. "Baltimore?s 30 percent warrantless arrest and release without charge rate is a complete anomaly," Karlan said. "A few years ago, a New York Times article reported that New York?s percentage of cases thrown out was a little over 5 percent."

sjanis@baltimoreexaminer.com

Stephen Janis

City?s arrest rate higher than D.C. and Philadelphia