Monday, April 29, 2013
Both departments will use the social media site, along with Twitter, to disseminate information to the public.
You can now "like" the Baltimore County Police and Fire Departments. County officials announced Monday afternoon that the departments now share a page on Facebook. The page will be used to distribute information from the two departments as well as the county Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. "We know how much people care about police news in their communities," said County Police Chief Jim Johnson, in an emailed statement. "Social media helps us provide information when significant news is breaking. It also helps dispel rumors in an era rumor spreads instantly." The page is the latest foray into social media by the county. The police and fire department already have a presence on Twitter. The Office of Homeland Security…
Monday, April 15, 2013
The Baltimore County executive praises county employees but asks employees to "stay the course" because the proposed budget contains no cost of living salary increases.
UPDATED (10:29 a.m.)—Baltimore County residents will not have to dig deeper for local taxes again this year under a budget proposed by County Executive Kevin Kamenetz. Kamenetz is expected to introduce his third county budget to the Baltimore County Council at 10 a.m. The proposed $2.8 billion operating budget will contain no increases in property or income taxes for the budget year that begins July 1. The county has not raised property taxes in 25 years. The county income tax rate has not been raised in 21 years. But Kamenetz's spending plan is larger than the limit set in January by the County Council's Spending Affordability Committee. That committee in January set the limit for ongoing costs subject to spending guidelines at $1.675 …
Thursday, November 22, 2012
One man suffers minor burns to his arms and face in Fullerton incident.
A Fullerton man suffered minor injuries in a fire that firefighters believe was started by a turkey fryer. The fire, which was contained to the deck of the home in the 3400 block of Moultree Place, was likely caused by a fryer that was warming up. Firefighters believe the oil spilled out of the fryer, according to Lt. Paul Massarelli, a county fire department spokesman. The unidentified man suffered minor burns to his face and arms. He refused to be transported to a local hospital for treatment, Massarelli said. County fire officials asked the public not to use turkey fryers near the house.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Anthony Maurice Cottle faces five charges for sexually abusing two teenage boys in the spring of 2012.
Baltimore County Police have charged a 23-year-old Owings Mills man with sexually abusing two 14-year-old boys this spring. Anthony Maurice Cottle, of the unit block of Stonemark Court, is charged with sexual abuse of a minor, fourth-degree sex offense, second-degree assault, third-degree sex offense and sodomy, according to a Baltimore County Police press release. He is currently being held at the Baltimore County Detention Center on $150,000 bond. Cottle has been employed with the Baltimore County Fire Department since December 2011, but has been suspended without pay pending adjudication of the criminal charges. He is also a volunteer with the Lansdowne Volunteer Fire Department, where he was also suspended pending adjudication of the …
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Three cases filed Wednesday come a month after the county settled ten claims in a Department of Justice lawsuit.
County officials said three new disability lawsuits filed in federal court are without merit and that its policies on requiring medical testing for some employees will be vindicated. In a rare comment on pending litigation, Don Mohler, a county spokesman, said the county has done nothing wrong and he believes the county will ultimately win all three cases. "We don't think these lawsuits have any merit," said Mohler. "We stand by the county's policies and procedures. We don't think that we've done anything wrong and we'll make that case again." Firefighters Donald Becker and Stanley Kuklinski and police Lt. Michael Lauenstein are each seeking $2.3 million in damages and additional legal fees. All three claim they were forced to undergo …
Monday, August 6, 2012
Baltimore County vows not to spend more than $25,000 if council fails to approve contract.
UPDATED (9:27 p.m.)—The Baltimore County Council is scheduled to vote Monday on a contract with a consultant who is already advising the county police department on promotional testing procedures that are being scrutinized for possible violations of federal discrimination law. The Baltimore County Police Department entered into a $70,000 contract June 26 with Fields Consulting Group Inc. to provide validation services for the department's corporal and sergeants promotional exams. The company began providing services despite a requirement by the County Charter that the Baltimore County Council approve all contracts exceeding $25,000 or in excess of two years in duration. A county spokesman said such retroactive council approvals are not …
Monday, July 2, 2012
Water and trash bins offered at area fire stations and county residents without power can recharge phones and computers at county libraries.
UPDATED (5:01 p.m.)—County residents in need of drinking water can fill their containers at area fire stations, and will soon be able to drop off their storm debris there too. County officials made the announcement during a brief news conference Monday afternoon in Towson. Fire Department Chief John Hohman said the county plans to place trash bins at county fire stations and allow residents to drop off their storm debris. The plan mirrors what the county did last fall after Hurricane Irene, when it allowed residents to drop off tree and brush debris only. The bins will be available beginning 9 a.m. July 3 at the following additional locations: Only storm-related tree debris will be accepted at the eight fire station locations, which will …
Thursday, March 29, 2012
During the annual Baltimore County Fire Department Commendations and Promotional Ceremony this week, 37 firefighters and EMS specialists were promoted.
Two men saving dozens of fellow passengers on their charter bus, children rescuing family and friends, firefighters putting their lives on the line—these were just some of the heroes honored at the annual Fire Department Commendations and Promotional Ceremony this week. The recipients "made the difference between life and death," said Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz. “It really takes extraordinary courage for anyone to take those kinds of responsibility and risk for total strangers," Kamenetz said of firefighters and residents alike. "But to choose this as a career, and to confront those challenges every time you go to work, it really requires a truly special character of a person. “It’s never just a day at the office," he added…
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
The 84-page document offers observations and recommendations for battling future fires following the January 2011 death of volunteer firefighter Mark Falkenhan.
Requiring all fire personnel to have a portable radio when entering a life-threatening situation and ensuring that teams entering those situations remain together were two of the recommendations to come out of the final report investigating the death of volunteer firefighter Mark Falkenhan. The 84-page report by the Baltimore County Fire Department comes more than 14 months after Falkenhan, a Middle River native and member of the Lutherville Volunteer Fire Company, died in the line of duty while battling a four-alarm apartment fire on Jan. 19, 2011 in Hillendale. Investigators concluded that a frying pan with oil that was left unattended on a stove in a first-floor apartment caused the fire, according to the report. Baltimore County Fire…
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
A Department of Justice letter requests information on minority hiring in police and fire departments.
Baltimore County's police and fire departments are being investigated for possible discriminatory hiring practices. The county was notified of the investigation Jan. 30 in a two-page letter from the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division that was obtained by Patch. County Executive Kevin Kamenetz apparently acknowledged receiving the letter in a 10-page letter to Rep. Elijah Cummings, according to the Baltimore Sun, which first reported the probe. In the letter, Kamenetz "acknowledged that women and minorities have been "underrepresented" in the fire department and in some sections of the police department," The Sun reported. Don Mohler, a county spokesman and Kamenetz's chief of staff, declined to release the letter to …
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