Bealefeld Goes On Radio To Defend Baltimore Police

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Baltimore's police commissioner is defending his department amid a series of controversial incidents.

The Baltimore Sun reports that commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III struck a defiant tone during a Tuesday evening radio appearance.

Bealefeld answered critics on the "Marc Steiner Show" and addressed some of his agency's recent scandals.

He said people shouldn't draw conclusions about the entire 3,100-member force based on 50 officers implicated in a kickback scandal with a towing company and a corruption case in which an officer is charged with running a large-scale heroin operation.

He also fielded questions on why officers fired 42 shots outside the Select Lounge nightclub in January and mistakenly killed a plainclothes colleague.

Bealefeld defended his officers but also said he wants to see better training.

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