It's been more than a month since the murder of former city councilman Ken Harris. No arrests have been made, and now for the first time we're hearing from Harris' widow.
Annette Harris spoke after members of city council called for more information from city police on the murder investigation.
Annette Harris clearly believes someone out there knows who killed her husband. She made a passionate plea after Monday’s City Council meeting, saying: ‘My husband was serious about Baltimore. and I just want that same attitude to be reflected in them finding the murderers of my husband, not only because of my husband's death, but for the citizens of Baltimore it is very important that we take each life seriously. My husband dedicated his life to Baltimore City and he stood up for people who had no voice and I will continue to be his voice. And I will continue to speak out and I will continue to search and to encourage those who know what happened to come forward and do the right thing.
During the meeting, Councilwoman Helen Holton called on Police Commissioner Fred Bealefeld to update City Council on the investigation. She said the number of unsolved murder cases in the city has risen, while the community's involvement with police has dropped. ‘Now, there's next to none. There's next to none. So what it says to me is there's a breakdown. Something's not working. By no means is this an indictment of the efforts of our police department, but maybe there's a new way that we need to be policing, that we aren't, that restores that partnership,’ she said.
Earlier this month -- after the release of a picture of a Halloween mask worn by one of the suspects, and surveillance video that shows all three of them -- Commissioner Bealefeld did speak about the Harris case. ‘We've been pushing, pushing, pushing and begging people on TV to get involved in that case. We've gotten two phone calls from the neighborhood on that case. Two,’ he said during a community meeting in Northeast Baltimore.
The commissioner is likely to appear before City Council November 5th.
Also during Monday’s meeting Councilman Nicholas D'Adamo reiterated his call for a big increase in Crimestopper rewards. He says anonymous tipsters whose information leads to an arrest should get $20,000, instead of the $2,000 they're eligible for right now. ‘Remember -- money talks, on the street.. And police need help. And we need to give them the extra tool of that money reward to catch the people that are committing these murders,’ D’Adamo said.
