According to Maryland District Court Documents, Elizabeth Adkins Harrison was arrested on charges that she ran a brothel in her Laurel, Maryland, apartment. The Washington Post reports residents of this middle class apartment complex, The Russet Green, complained to the Anne Arundel Police Department about the constant “suspicious” traffic in and out of a certain apartment. Authorities say an undercover investigation later revealed “Magical Lizzy”, aka 35-year-old Elizabeth Harrison’s stay-at-home business.
Ms. Harrison faces four criminal charges for engaging in prostitution and receiving money from prostitutes with the intent of promoting and profiting from a crime.
Crime prevention in any neighborhood is not easy. Crime creates mistrust and a fear among neighbors. While more common in poorer neighborhoods, that’s not to say crime doesn’t happen everywhere there’s vulnerability. It takes awareness and the courage to notify authorities of any suspicions.
Recently, residents rallied together in my community because of suspicions of drugs. I live in a suburban area of Southern Maryland, mostly working professionals and stay- at-home moms. I believe a looming recession and job loss has attributed to desperate times and we all know what people are capable of. In addition, the past growth of the real estate market enabled many neighbors to afford second homes and rent out their first residence, bringing in renters with unfamiliar backgrounds.
Police investigated and explained they did have their suspicions, but no clear-cut evidence. Hyped-up police presence only informs the intended their being watched. In the end, upon further investigation police found there were drugs flowing into my community. Not by the typical corner dweller we usually see on television but by someone we assumed was a professional employed citizen. Now the outcome was something right out of Hollywood. The police wanted to sit, wait and watch to get the bigger fish. Ridding the neighborhood of one known criminal could have relieved the present problem but they move on to the next vulnerable community, continuing the on-going saga. This explains the importance of throwing the little fish back and waiting for the big kahuna.
Do You Really Know Your Neighbor?
Unfamiliar visitors in your neighborhood don’t really tell the whole story. So what? A person is popular and has many visitors. There are many options to peruse to find whom you’re really living among. The Internet can provide any information you need. Free sites or nominal fees, you can locate information on anyone. Many public service websites allow you to perform checks for free or for a fee-based service you can perform a full background check. In addition, if you have a license plate number, Net Detective can provide a name, address, car registration, expiration and more. It definitely takes time and detective work.
Setting up a Neighborhood Watch Team is another option. Another set of eyes can help when police are not accessible. While citizens cannot apprehend a criminal, they can document what they see and pass along to the police. Concrete evidence makes the difference between a noisy neighbor and developing criminal activity in your neighborhood. Many times, police will investigate a suspicion but until they can really determine any criminal activity, there is nothing anyone can do but sit and watch. It takes a determined community to provide stability.
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