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New Cruisers Help Officers Fight Crime In The City

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A new set of wheels. That's what more than 80 police officers have to help fight crime in Baltimore City.

Mary Bubala reports the new fleet was delivered Friday morning.

The first of many new police cruisers rolled up to the Northeast District for the unveiling.

Newly sworn in Police Commissioner Anthony Batts opened the door for the driver... It was Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake! She had carefully driven the new car to the press conference and handed over the keys. It's part of a $2.3 million expenditure to start replacing an aging fleet.

"It will significantly enhance our police officers' ability to patrol our neighborhoods as well as respond to calls--especially here in the Northeast," said Mayor Rawlings-Blake.

Each of the 80 new cruisers is equipped with the latest technology to help fight crime on the streets. Now officers have laptop computers at their fingertips for real-time info on criminals.

"This is more than just a shiny new car for us. This more than just having a fleet here. The efficiencies of running this organization is paramount by having MDC's--that's multiple data computers--to allow the police officers to have information to get to the crime scene faster and more efficiently," said Batts.

"They're able to take reports within the police car and do their reports on the computers inside the car so they stay active and stay in the communities and stay in the neighborhoods," he said.

This is just the beginning of cars going out to multiple districts in the city--25% of the fleet is being replaced.

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