Security apprehended burglar in clandestine sting operation
In an innovative and unprecedented sting operation, Hopkins Campus Security and the Baltimore Police arrested Jerome Owens last winter, putting an end to a wave of burglaries and break-ins at student apartments in the area north of Homewood campus.
Orchestrated by Lt. Steve Ossmus of Campus Security and executed by officers from Baltimore's Northern District, the sting was a forceful response to a series of thefts that largely targeted students living in the 200 and 300 blocks of University Parkway.
The operation - the first of its kind in Hopkins history - was the culmination of a methodical investigation and served to highlight the proactive nature of our school's collaboration with the city police. For a complete account of these unique events, I descended into the basement of Shriver Hall to consult the professionals of the Office of Investigations. There I met Investigator Dennis Rosemary, a self-proclaimed "cop of 28 years" centrally involved in the sting. Speaking with light bemusement and pride, Rosemary provided a vivid narrative that more than slightly evoked the doughnut-fueled stakeouts of cinematic tradition.
It began in the fall of 2006, when Charles Village found itself afflicted with a rash of house-breaks and thefts. Police had arrested two individuals in the preceding months, but the crimes nevertheless continued and intensified. This third, un-apprehended burglar had a distinguishing M.O.; that is, his break-ins followed repeating patterns and used the same methods over and over. He would enter houses from the rear, using fire escapes to climb to the second or third floors, whereupon he would break in through the windows and search the house for valuable property.
According to Rosemary he took "laptops, electronic equipment, iPods, money - anything he could find. In one case, a big TV did go out." Between 50 and 60 burglaries were committed in this manner, causing not only the loss of students' possessions, but also damage to the apartments themselves. The perpetrator, however, remained elusive.
Orchestrated by Lt. Steve Ossmus of Campus Security and executed by officers from Baltimore's Northern District, the sting was a forceful response to a series of thefts that largely targeted students living in the 200 and 300 blocks of University Parkway.
The operation - the first of its kind in Hopkins history - was the culmination of a methodical investigation and served to highlight the proactive nature of our school's collaboration with the city police. For a complete account of these unique events, I descended into the basement of Shriver Hall to consult the professionals of the Office of Investigations. There I met Investigator Dennis Rosemary, a self-proclaimed "cop of 28 years" centrally involved in the sting. Speaking with light bemusement and pride, Rosemary provided a vivid narrative that more than slightly evoked the doughnut-fueled stakeouts of cinematic tradition.
It began in the fall of 2006, when Charles Village found itself afflicted with a rash of house-breaks and thefts. Police had arrested two individuals in the preceding months, but the crimes nevertheless continued and intensified. This third, un-apprehended burglar had a distinguishing M.O.; that is, his break-ins followed repeating patterns and used the same methods over and over. He would enter houses from the rear, using fire escapes to climb to the second or third floors, whereupon he would break in through the windows and search the house for valuable property.
According to Rosemary he took "laptops, electronic equipment, iPods, money - anything he could find. In one case, a big TV did go out." Between 50 and 60 burglaries were committed in this manner, causing not only the loss of students' possessions, but also damage to the apartments themselves. The perpetrator, however, remained elusive.
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Jim
posted 9/20/07 @ 8:53 PM EST
This article covers hard news but is written like a feature.
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