Crime & Safety

Police Aim to Crack Down on Charles Village Prostitution

If a car is observed in a high prostitution area too often, police may send a warning letter to the owner.

UPDATE (3:39 p.m.)—If your car is spotted too often in a high prostitution area, such as lower Charles Village, Baltimore police may send a warning letter to the registered owner of the vehicle.

Diana Mitchell, coordinator of the Charles Village Community Benefits District’s safety program, said sending such letters was among the ways that police discussed to curb prostitution during a meeting Tuesday night with residents and neighborhood groups.

Mitchell also said police are asking residents to be more diligent about calling 911 if there is an issue with prostitution near their homes. She said police reported receiving 32 calls within the last 30 days about prostitution in the neighborhood and that 42 prostitution arrests had been made this year in Charles Village.

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Another meeting about problems with prostitution in the area will be held in January, Mitchell said.

The issue of prostitution—often conducted by transgendered women—has been an ongoing complaint among residents. The Charles Village Community Benefits District regularly conducts midnight walks to try to move prostitutes out of the area.

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Charles Village resident Odette Ramos, a former city council candidate, said she would try to facilitate a small meeting between the members of the transgendered advocates, some residents and the police. She said the meeting would have to be small because members of the transgendered community may feel intimidated in a larger forum.

In an Octoberwith Northern District commander Maj. Sabrina Tapp-Harper and State’s Attorney Gregg Bernstein, residents voiced displeasure with the inability to rid the neighborhood of prostitutes.


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