New landscape: Residents say 'open-air' drug markets fading

Driving through Annapolis public housing communities Friday afternoon was a noticeably different experience.

There was no one loitering on Clay Street. There were no groups gathered in Robinwood. Harbour House and Eastport Terrace were nearly devoid of suspicious activity.

In short, there wasn't much to see.

It was a far cry from the so-called "open-air" drug markets that until recently had been commonplace on the troubled streets. And some residents said these quieter, safer streets are the new normal.

Last week, the Annapolis Police Department released crime statistics for the first half of the year. They showed violent crime was down 17.5 percent in the first six months of the year, and was down even more since April, when Chief Michael A. Pristoop took the helm of the department.

Many are crediting the changes he has made - increased foot patrols in public housing, the use of crime mapping and other technology and the increased emphasis on warrant serving - with reducing the drug dealing in their neighborhoods.

Still, Chief Pristoop said he is cautiously optimistic about the rumblings that the drug market has slowed.

"There's greater police presence in some areas; many of the usual suspects acknowledge that and are displaced from the area," he said. "We hope that that continues."

While the streets may appear a lot different and safer, it's still a recent change and some people aren't quite ready to let their guard down.

"The area's been bad for a while, but within the last couple of months, it's gotten a lot better," one Robinwood woman said while sitting inside her apartment on a recent afternoon.

But she declined to give her name because she said she fears potential retribution.

During a drive through the community last week, there was little activity on the main thoroughfare of Tyler Avenue, though there were some small gatherings of people in front of the apartments.

"Activity is still going on, but not like it was," the woman said. "At one time you couldn't walk out on the street, you couldn't sit on your porch."

Drug markets change over time, as people move or find a new place to do business. The department will maintain and even add extra efforts to make sure drug crime continues to be less of a problem to city residents, Chief

Pristoop said.

The enhanced police presence may be winning a battle of perception since drug activity seems to be on the decline and arrests for drug charges are up. In the first half of 2007, there were 135 arrests for drug possession and dealing; in 2008, there were 160 in the same period, almost a 19-percent increase.

Quiet streets

Officer Kevin Freeman, who has been with the Annapolis Police Department for nine years, said police often don't want to "jinx" their efforts by discussing them. But he said officers have been "running and gunning" - patrolling heavily and stopping people for minor things like loitering and trespassing in an effort to prevent other crimes.

On a routine patrol Friday morning, Officer Freeman drove into and around each public housing community, looking for possible crimes. But there were none to be found.

In the past, however, that just wasn't the case, Officer Freeman said. Officers would drive through communities as early as 7 a.m. to break up groups hanging around the neighborhoods.

"It would be on the verge of out of control," he said.

On Newtowne Drive, however, teens and adults were standing in the street or sitting on the front stoop. It's a similar picture to the old days, when this was a common theme in and around housing communities.

Police can only do so much - residents themselves have to be involved in fixing this kind of problem, he said.

"How do you convince people that it's not acceptable to tear up your own neighborhood?"

During other parts of the drive, passersby waved at the officer, with many saying hello to him using his nickname, Officer Jamie Foxx, because of his resemblance to the actor. It's how people relate to him, he said.

If residents know him, they're more likely to give him information about crimes and feel safer turning to him for help.

"People who live in those neighborhoods know why the problems are there," he said.

He drives around, breaking up small gatherings of people hanging out on streets. Sometimes people get upset when they're told to move off the corner.

"It's 2 o'clock in the morning, there's no reason to be standing on the corner," he tells them, noting that "there's nothing but problems standing on the corner."

Such patrols help small crimes from escalating into larger ones, he said.

"If you don't take care of it today, eventually you're going to have to deal with it," he said.

Then and now

When Timm Kostenko moved onto Clay Street in December 2006, the neighborhood needed some work.

It was filled with drug dealers - people he jokingly calls "entrepreneurs," on his blog, "I Live On Clay Street."

"When I first moved in, kids were selling drugs behind my house," he said. Drug dealing was rampant, and out in the open, on corners, and no one seemed to notice or care, he said.

But now, it's a far different picture. While that kind of open drug dealing isn't completely gone, it's now the exception to the rule, he said.

His view is shared by others who live in and near public and subsidized housing who have seen a marked difference on the streets. Some, like Mr. Kostenko, attribute the change at least in part to the use of police foot patrols.

People seem to feel more comfortable calling the police because they see them in the community more, he added.

"I think people are starting to feel a little more community back there," he said.

But Chief Pristoop needs to continue this push, he said.

"He has to be the glue that holds it all together," Mr. Kostenko said. "I think the tide has definitely turned. I feel very good for our neighborhood."

Stanford Erickson, an organizer of Annapolitans United Against Crime, said members of his group have noticed the trend, as well.

When officers started taking on foot patrols more, "all of the sudden the people started disappearing," he said.

"The drug market is dried up now ... You just don't see the people on the corners anymore."

Some Eastport residents were previously afraid to drive around President Street, near the Eastport Terrace and Harbour House communities, Mr. Erickson said, but now people are out walking their dogs, riding bikes and running through the neighborhood.

"Right now, Eastport is one of the safest places in town," he said with a laugh.

William Brooks, a Harbour House resident, said the streets in his neighborhood are a different place, too.

It's nearly impossible to eradicate drug dealing, but "it's not wide open like it was" now, Mr. Brooks said.

Police presence is visible in his community, he said, estimating he sees police cars at least twice an hour.

And criminals seem to have noticed, too, he said.

"It really has slowed down," he said.

Moving on

Mayor Ellen O. Moyer said the record number of vehicle seizures of cars involved in drug arrests also has helped drive the message home to drug dealers.

"It hits people in their pocketbook," she said. "They're there to make money. If they can't make money, it's not good for business."

New tools like crime mapping have also helped, she said.

"We've been trying to wage a war on drugs for a long time," Ms. Moyer said.

Chief Pristoop said the department will continue its efforts to stay on top of the drug market. The problem is complex and drug markets are fluid, he said. They can move between neighborhoods or even move off the streets.

Chief Pristoop said he and the rest of the department is aware that the war has not ended and that their tactics will have to continue to evolve with each new battle and different battleground.

"We're hopeful that we can sustain this," he said.

Police have already seen one such shift, Officer Freeman said.

Copeland Street residents decided to clean up their community and hired a private security company to watch over the neighborhood. Now, the neighborhood is nearly devoid of drug activity, they said.

But nearby Newtowne Drive has seen a upswing - possibly a sign that the Copeland Street crime shifted down Forest Drive.

"There's no overnight fix" to drug dealing, and the market "ebbs and flows," Officer Freeman said.

"It's a work in progress," he said.

Still, residents noticing a dip in their communities is a positive sign.

"If they're seeing less drug dealing, then we're excited about that," he said.

But residents should be prepared to help in the fight to keep drugs off their streets by calling and assisting police.

"These drug dealers aren't throwing up a white flag," Chief Pristoop said. "They're not giving up."