Flower Thieves

Michael A. Sawyers
Cumberland Times-News

July 03, 2008 11:53 am

— FROSTBURG - Flower thieves are going to pot in Frostburg, with some regularity.
"We are getting ready to replant the baskets and planters for the fourth time," Paula Munson said Wednesday. Munson is a member of the Frostburg House and Garden Club, a group that has been making Main Street and some side streets look fetching for special occasions such as the Fourth of July holiday.
"In all the years we have been planting flowers, we have never had anything like this happen," Munson said.
The club purchases locally and then plants a variety of flowers such as geraniums, which are now gone, petunias, which have vanished, and dragon wing begonias, which have been pilfered.
Munson, who admits to having a green thumb, says she would like to catch the snapdragon snatchers red-handed.
"We've called the police, but they say there's not a whole lot they can do about it," Munson said.
Robert Flanigan will be sworn in Monday as the city's new public safety commissioner. Flanigan served as a city police officer for 19 years.
"It's tough for an officer to patrol flower baskets," Flanigan said. "You might be driving down the street and you don't see a basket because you are watching a car ahead of you."
Flanigan said the best thing the club members could do is get as many neighbors with as many eyeballs as possible to watch over things.
"And get a description if you see some flowers being stolen," Flanigan said. "Especially important is a shirt color and direction of travel."
Flanigan said if an officer knows to look for three people, one in a red shirt and two in black shirts, that will stand out for him.
"I don't think you can blame this on college students," Munson said. "Most of them aren't here in the summer."
Munson said she and her club partner, Lois Elliott, have spent an additional $100 above and beyond the original cost to replant.
City Administrator John Kirby said the removal of the flowers does not appear to be a series of random acts. Kirby requests that people downtown report related problems to him at (301) 689-6000, ext. 25 or to police at (301) 689-3000.
Contact Michael A. Sawyers at msawyers@times-news.com.

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