BALTIMORE _ Baltimore Mayor Catherine E. Pugh expressed dismay Wednesday about the high homicide rate in Baltimore and suggested installing thousands more lights in city neighborhoods to curb crime.
"It's really sad we're at 300 murders," Pugh said. "The murders are a big problem for our city. We know there are too many guns on the street. ... Crime is an indicator of other systemic problems. ... This conversation is not just with the police department. It has to be with community leaders and others in our community.
"What are we going to do to convince folks to put down the guns? The shootings have got to stop. The killings have got to stop."
A 42-year-old man and 48-year-old man were killed in a shooting Tuesday night. They were the 300th and 301st homicide victims in Baltimore this year.
Pugh said her administration is exploring the idea of adding about 6,000 lights around Baltimore. She said richer neighborhoods like Canton and Federal Hill are well-lit and have lower crime rates. She would like to expand such lighting to poorer neighborhoods.
"The neighborhoods are just too dark," Pugh said. "We've got to light the city up. ... I'm talking about lights that will make it brighter in our neighborhoods and make people feel safer. That will be one of the things that will help to curb some of the violence in our city."
Pugh said she wasn't dictating crime-fighting strategy to the police department, but wants violence to decrease.
"I don't seek to run the police department. I just want them to get the crime numbers down," she said. "I want us to look at how we light our city. I know there's been a promise of 6,000 new lights. We've got to strategically decide where they go. ...
"There are many neighborhoods that I would feel safe. We can walk in Canton and Federal Hill. It should be the same all over the city."
