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Crime Complaints On The Rise In Some Baltimore Neighborhoods

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Businesses in some Baltimore neighborhoods are raising concerns about a rise in so-called petty crime.

Derek Valcourt explains Mount Vernon is one of the neighborhoods where crime complaints are on the rise.

It's not just a quality of life issue here, businesses say it's impacting their bottom line.

In the Mount Vernon Belvedere area, community leaders like Jason Curtis say they're hearing more complaints about so-called petty crimes.

"And I think we're seeing those upticks because people are becoming more vigilant after the situation in late April, early May," said Curtis, president of the Mount Vernon Belvedere Association.

"The volume of crime this year, we've seen increases on it," said T.J. Smith, Baltimore City Police Department.

Police say while violent crime is a priority, the department is also committed to reducing nonviolent crime.

"If we have information to develop for a suspect is in that, we're going to go after them, we're going to charge them," said Smith.

But the problems aren't limited to Mount Vernon--that kind of nonviolent property crime is affecting other neighborhoods as well.

It's also a concern in the Market Center District west of downtown, where a recent survey found views about petty crime impacting business.

"That people were not shopping or coming out to that neighborhood or maybe staying as long as they would otherwise because they had fears about safety," said Mike Evitts, Downtown Partnership. "So that's clearly something that the mayor cares about and that the Merchant's Association wants to address."

The Downtown Partnership says work is already underway to address some of the area's image misconceptions, and that may give some communities the boost they need.

"If you can change that perception, people won't have that idea of what the neighborhood is, they'll feel safer," said Curtis.

This week, police launched a new initiative to put more officers on the streets through the end of the year in an effort to boost their visibility and hopefully reduce crime.

Community leaders in Mount Vernon say police have been sympathetic to their concerns and are offering help.

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