Cape Residents Take Stand Against 'The Pit'

A group of vigilant Cape St. Claire residents saw a problem at The Pit behind Broadneck High and decided to do something about it.

Their actions drew police attention to activity behind the school, which precipitated a string of charges against juveniles in February, and the arrest of a 23-year-old man with six knives in his vehicle and drug paraphernalia.

Beau Breeden, the chairman of the Cape St. Claire Improvement Association's security committee, has become a watchdog for illegal activity behind Broadneck High School—an area commonly called The Pit.

"The Pit has been an issue for a long time. This didn't start last year. It's been an ongoing thing for 20 years—probably since the school's existence," he said.

So what happens at The Pit? On average, Breeden said there are between 15-20 students hanging around The Pit after school, mostly teenagers congregating over cigarettes they’re too young to smoke. But it has become violent in the past. In January 2012, an 18-year-old was hospitalized with an eye injury after a fight.

Anne Arundel County police have reported disorderly conduct, destruction of property, illegal drug use, fights and other criminal behaviors at The Pit.

Breeden and other Cape residents began observing and reporting activity a few days after a fight broke out between students on Feb. 8. The fight was captured on video by students and posted online. Information on the incident was emailed to community members.

Since the fight, Anne Arundel County police said they have boosted their surveillance of the area, and are working with school officials to make the area safer.

“Officers from the Eastern District’s Tactical Patrol Unit have been performing increased patrols to the area, and a detective has been assigned to assist and coordinate efforts with the School Resource Officer and school administrators,” according to a release.

Likewise BHS Principal David Smith said faculty will continue to work with law enforcement and the school resource officer to monitor activity in the area behind the school.

But Breeden said he and others are serving as the eyes and ears for police when no one is there to patrol. When they see suspicious activity, they report it to school and police officials, who will then take action if necessary.

"I just walked down there, checked things out, counted the number of kids, and noted what they were doing, which was sometimes littering, sometimes minor vandalism—things like that," he said.

That increased level of attention has led to a spike in police response, and what Breeden said he hopes will be the beginning of some long-term changes for the troubled area.

"The typical response has been a Band-Aid—a short-term fix for a few weeks until things settled down, and then something else would pick up again. It has become a real frustration," Breeden said. "What we wanted to do was make a more concerted effort and create a long-term solution."

In a letter to school and police officials, Breeden outlined a seven-pronged approach on how to curb student congregation at The Pit, including erecting no loitering signs and coordinating regular, random police patrols with the intent on enforcing the law.

Breeden said his objective is to be proactive about a troubled area of town, where unchecked mischief could one day escalate into something much worse.

“The issues at hand continue to build, and eventually we will be asking how we could have prevented a much worse scenario in the future,” he wrote.

In response to recent activities at The Pit, the Cape St. Claire Improvement Association has scheduled an open forum in March. Representatives from county government, the school system, the police, and the general public are all invited to discuss the issue and what should be done about The Pit, once and for all.

The forum is scheduled for March 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Cape St. Claire Clubhouse, located at 1223 River Bay Rd., Annapolis 21409.