BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. (WBFF) — Baltimore County officials and public safety leaders faced pointed questions from residents Tuesday during a public safety meeting. They gathered at the Community College of Baltimore County in Essex, as residents voiced frustration over crime, juvenile offenders and police staffing shortages.
The meeting was held inside the administration building’s Lecture Hall, where organizers said residents could share concerns directly with state and local public safety leaders. The panel included Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger; Lisa Garry, a deputy director with the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services; and Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough.
Residents lined up at the microphone with questions, including one man who described a delayed police response after he said someone pulled a knife on him. “I had somebody pull a knife on me. Guess where the policeman came from, 20 minutes later, Banner Road. Banner road. I could have sliced and diced Banner road, do your job people…” he said. He later added, “Give these guys the help they need (to do their job),” referencing the staffing shortage.
The town hall came amid recent notable crimes in Baltimore County, including the fatal shooting of a Towson University student who was murdered last month near the Towson Circle. It also followed a Baltimore County police announcement made just yesterday that two 13-year-old suspects were arrested in connection with two armed carjackings over the weekend.
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Some residents said they are fed up with ongoing crime and what they see as a lack of accountability for juvenile offenders. Leah Biddinger, a Baltimore County resident, called for parents to be held responsible when children are below the age threshold for certain consequences.
“We need the parents of the children who fall below that age threshold to be held accountable. Because these 11 and 13 year olds that are getting away with, you know, we had one young man in the neighboring community, who stole three cars in one day at 11 years old,” Biddinger said.
Jackie Rudolph, who attended with her husband, said she spent 30 days in the hospital and 90 days in a wheelchair after she said a 15-year-old boy driving a stolen car slammed into her vehicle last year while being pursued by police. Rudolph said the juvenile’s sentence did not match the impact of the crash on her life.
“The juvenile who hit me, do you know what his sentence was? 90 days home on a monitor. I’ve spent that in a wheel chair, thank you very much,” Rudolph said. She added, “There’s a total lack of accountability for these juveniles for their parents And it needs to change.”
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Fox45 News pressed Chief McCullough about residents’ continued concerns, particularly regarding juvenile crime and very young offenders. McCullough said changes in the law have limited how police can hold juveniles accountable.
“But with the changes in the law and the fact that we can no longer hold them accountable the way we used to, it just encourages them to commit more crime and to engage and. Low level stuff and they eventually graduate to some of the things that we see recently with some of them more serious things,” McCullough said.
Asked whether Baltimore County police need to crack down, McCullough said, “We continue to work, you know, to plug away effectively and utilize the existing laws to address the problems.”
The final Baltimore County public safety town hall in the series is set for next Wednesday, July 22, at the Randallstown Community Center.
Follow FOX45 reporter Keith Daniels on X and Facebook. Send tips to Kdaniels@sbgtv.com.
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