PERRY HALL, Md. — Every pew was packed at St. Michael's Lutheran in Perry Hall.
While the signs of the season still decorated the church, it was the sign of the times and concerns about crime that brought out the crowds.
"I find it really difficult to believe that Baltimore county doesn't have the technology to print off crime statistics."
Police and politicians also came with concerns. Delegate Kathy Szeliga worries about what she see from Baltimore.
"What can we do to protect our community because we see crime spilling out of the city into our community and we don't like it," said Szeliga.
Recent arrests and incidents of violence at and near the White Marsh Mall coupled with at least two unsolved robberies at the Safeway on Bel Air Road dominated the conversation as residents raised their voices about safety concerns.
"We are doing the best we can. Crime solving is done in a common environment. We have to help eachother. We need your eyes and ears out there because we can't do it alone," said an Officer.
With the death of Officer Amy Caprio in Perry Hall back in May still fresh in the minds of police and people who live here, the community also wanted to know justice will be served.
"The murderers are in custody. There's four of them. They were apprehended immediately afterwards. They're still in jail and their trials will be coming up."
While many called for curfews, changes to the bus schedule and increased security at the mall. There were no solutions, but for some the start of a conversation that's well overdue.
"I am interested in learning some more with our police department and our community members. I'm not scared. I'm aware of my surroundings and I know what needs to be done to keep my family safe."
Councilman David Marks says the Towson area which he represents has had success with their mall escort policy. He will advocate for the White Marsh Mall to do the same since they're owned by the same company.
And the conversation also prompted the new Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olzewski to comment.
“Every person deserves to feel safe in their community. Chief Sheridan and I are actively discussing additional measures to engage residents and address concerns about crime. To that end, I will be talking with mall leadership and will ask them to develop a clear and specific policy on unsupervised youth. As we work to keep our communities safe, we will not point fingers but instead work in collaboration with our partners in the Baltimore region to address public safety concerns.”
