BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. — A town hall discussion dubbed a crime summit in Baltimore County was held Wednesday to address violence throughout the community as well as in the some of the schools.
It took place at New Town High School in Owings Mills.
“Major concerns about the negative activity that’s going on in the schools,” said Pamela Blackmon, who has two kids in Baltimore County Schools.
Blackmon was one of many community members who came to the crime summit at New Town.
She has two kids in the Baltimore County School district. She said violence and other issues at their schools was the biggest reason why she came.
“They’re having fights. They’re having concerns about hookah. And different negative activity that I never seen at this level,” she said.
Blackman like many in attendance wanted to hear from police and county leaders about their plans and ideas to not only curb the violence in schools, but also in their community.
Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Schellenberger said he’s in talks with the chief of police to allow community members to upload surveillance video to a police server if it captures a crime taking place.
“It would be for your ring doorbell camera, if you have any surveillance cameras around your house. Your house gets broken into and boom you have a CC number and you can shoot it right into the system,” he said.
Major Orlando Lilly with Baltimore County Police said it’s important for police and the community to be proactive to address crime before it even happens.
He said that means police building relationships with residents as well as community members helping be their eyes and ears.
“I would love to be put out of business because we got to a place that the the dynamics between community and law enforcement was working so seamlessly that we dint have anything that would bring us together under these circumstances,” he said.
Blackman called the discussion necessary and she’s hopeful things will get better.
“I think that if we all move forward and literally do the thing that we said we were going to do and partner and maintain that connection, I think that it will be great,” she said.
The next discussion will be held at Milford Mill Academy on March 31st.
