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Edgewood 'has changed,' sheriff says at town hall meeting

Discussions at town meeting indicative of community concerns

BY KIRSTEN DIZE

Posted 8/03/09

Members of the Edgewood community gathered Saturday morning for Sheriff L. Jesse Bane's third town hall meeting since he took office in late 2006.

The Edgewood Senior Center was packed at 9 a.m., and members of the sheriff's command staff scrambled for additional chairs to accommodate the last few arrivals. Sheriff's spokesman Monica Worrell said about 175 people attended.

The meeting covered a wide range of topics, including the county neighborhood watch program, crime statistics, the boys to men program, plans for the Southern Precinct and gangs in the county. The presentations were followed by community comments and questions, in which about 100 people participated.

Comments included complaints about deputies, thanks for good work and professional attitudes at the sheriff's office and specific neighborhood incidents.

Cpl. Thomas Gamble of the Gang Suppression Unit gave an update on the status of gangs across the county and in Edgewood specifically.

Gamble said that there are 151 active gang members in Harford County ranging in age from 13 to 21. Of those 151 individuals, 47 are incarcerated.

Gamble explained that a significant decrease in confiscations is a positive sign.

"It's not because we aren't doing our jobs, it's because we are doing our jobs," Gamble said.

During community response, some citizens were offended by the representation of Edgewood as strictly a gang-ridden community. One man felt that crime in Edgewood is not necessarily gang-related.

The majority of those in attendance did not feel Gamble's presentation indicated that gangs are the only source of crime in the area. Gamble explained he was updating the community on the subject of gangs in response to concerns.

Bane later compared Saturday's meeting to the first town meeting he held soon after taking office. He said that issues under discussion at that meeting were strictly gangs, murders and assaults. A wide variety of topics were discussed on Saturday, mostly quality of life issues.

"That is an indication of how this community has changed," Bane said.

For more details on the sheriff's town meeting in Edgewood, please see this Wednesday's edition of The Aegis.