With a year on the job under his belt, and a dramatic drop in violent crime to his credit, Fred Bealefeld now has a seven year contract for his first full term as Baltimore City Police Commissioner. This culminates his childhood dream to join the force and follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, great-grand father and uncles.

Now, 26 years later, Commissioner Bealefeld commands a force that has implemented a strategy to reduce crime and maintain safe streets in Baltimore. Preventing, reducing and solving crime have been at the top of his agenda from the moment he walked the beat in West Baltimore to his 13-year stint as a Sergeant and ultimately, Lieutenant.

He has implemented a coordinated law enforcement team geared toward building solid enforceable cases against offenders and making neighborhoods safe. While some major cities are battling a rise in homicide rates, Baltimore's homicide rate is declining. Measures such as the strict enforcement of probation and coordination with the judiciary as well as more visible police presence in high crime areas have made a difference in the crime statistics.

We commend the City Council on the unanimous vote for confirmation of the Commissioner. It is an appropriate sign of approval of his work of the past year and support for a crime plan that appears to be working.