City of Baltimore - File #: 06-0166R

• File #: 06-0166R
• Version: 0
• Name: Baltimore City Police - Return to Uniform
• Type: City Council Resolution
• Status: Failed - End of Term
• File created: 4/10/2006
• In control: City Council
• Final action: 12/5/2007
• Title: Baltimore City Police - Return to Uniform FOR the purpose of requesting the Police Commissioner to return plain clothes detective, undercover, and other specialty squads to uniform dress code to increase law enforcement visibility and public awareness of police presence.
• Sponsors: Kenneth Harris
• Indexes: Police, Resolution

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
2/12/2007	0	Public Safety Subcommittee	Scheduled for a Public Hearing
4/13/2006	0	The City Council	Referred for a Report
4/10/2006	0	City Council	Introduced
4/10/2006	0	City Council	Assigned

* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*

CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)

Introduced by: Councilmember Harris

A RESOLUTION ENTITLED

A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
Title
Baltimore City Police - Return to Uniform

FOR the purpose of requesting the Police Commissioner to return plain clothes detective, undercover, and other specialty squads to uniform dress code to increase law enforcement visibility and public awareness of police presence.
Body
Recitals

In The Psychological Influence of the Police Uniform, an article published in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, March 2001, it states that the uniform of a police officer has been found to have a profound psychological impact on those who view it. The uniform of a police officer conveys the power and authority of the person wearing it and is a powerful clue as to the wearer's authority, capabilities, and status.

Research has revealed that the uniform has a subconscious psychological influence on people, based on the person's preconceived feelings about police officers. When a person wears the police uniform, citizens tend to be more cooperative with his or her requests, and people tend to curb their illegal or deviant behavior when a police uniform is visible in the area.

Currently the Baltimore Police Department operates nearly 100 specialized units deploying at least several hundred officers. These specialized units include the Flex Squad, the Special Enforcement Unit, and the Organized Crime Unit and consist of officers exempted from regular patrol duties to target specific areas of crime pr...