Nov 19, 2009 6:21 pm US/Eastern
Police Round Up Teens With Outstanding Warrants
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
While most of us were waking up, Baltimore City police were out rounding up juveniles with outstanding warrants.
Alex DeMetrick reports it's a full time job, as young offenders go from courtrooms, to home, to missing.
It's 5:30 a.m. and time for Baltimore's Juvenile Apprehensions Task Force to roll out.
Most of the juveniles police are looking for have either cut off their electronic monitoring bracelets or vanished from the homes judges have ordered them to stay.
"Sometimes when they're runaways or escapees, they don't necessarily want to go home to their parents or families. So we have to track them down through friends or associates, and we find a lot of them sleeping on couches," said Detective Tom Moore, Baltimore City police.
The first stop turns into a standoff against a massive deadbolt, where escapees have been found before. But this time, the search finds only those who belong, not the kid with the warrant.
The second lead turns up an empty house. The third, a new tenant.
In Baltimore, there are a lot of hiding places, and keeping track of who goes where is a big part of the job.
At the fourth stop, a 17-year-old who slipped out of her electronic monitor is found at a friend's place.
Although it might not look it, those who work this detail often feel they are a young person's last chance to stay safe. But it's against tough odds. Authorities say many of the teens end up in trouble again.
The range of juvenile offenses runs from drug arrests to car thefts to robberies.
Detention space is limited, so only the most serious offenders are likely to find themselves locked up.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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