New Town Beefs Up Security to Ease Crime Trends, Residents

New Town might have some of the best crime rates in Baltimore County, but that doesn't mean there couldn't be lower, Daniel Bralove said.

That's why the Owings Mills New Town Community Association has commissioned two private patrol officers from the international security firm G4S Security Solutions to help stave off certain illegal trends in the area. Bralove was joined by G4S representatives for a crime prevention town hall meeting Wednesday at , presented to a group of more than 20 community members. 

"By and large, this is a safe community," said Daniel Bralove, president of OMNTCA. "(But) in the eyes of the community association, one crime in New Town is one crime too many." 

The two uniformed, armed guards will use Secure Trax software to check into a handful of 28 evolving "hot spots" identified by Bralove and the association, said Nicholas Paros, G4S general manager for Maryland and Deleware. 

They will be patrolling those hot spots and others in staggered six-hour shifts, six days a week, he said. The guards' first shift was Saturday. 

One attendee asked if and when G4S officers would be allowed to use their weapon. 

"If an officer feels they need to protect their life or the life of others … they can draw a weapon," Paros said.

A retired major of the Maryland State Police, Paros went on to say the same policy applies for someone confronted by a stranger in their own home. 

If suspicious activity is spotted, individuals should call 911. G4S services are designed for prevention and not action, according to Paros.

"Our job is not to confront a burglar," he said. "That is still a police matter."

The association first upped its response to crime in 2007, when it implemented a Citizens on Patrol program and a Private Security Patrol program. Since May 2009, Bralove has taken on the task of tracking criminal incidents within New Town.  

That's when the Baltimore County Police Department started releasing crime stats on a more regular, easily accessible basis, Bralove said. Here are his stats:

According to Bralove, the crime rate in New Town is quite remarkable and at about .003 percent when factored with the 10,000 residents in New Town. The community encompasses 432 acres of land and has 28 home owners associations, he said.

Bralove went on to remark that the idea is for G4S to complement the work of the Citizens on Patrol program--a group of citizens who volunteer their time to keep a sharp eye out in various neighborhoods-- led by administrator Darryl Carter.

The COP program is responsible for the removal of 30 abandoned cars in New Town in 2010 and have helped report 51 malfunctioning street lights along Lakeside Boulevard and Dolfield Road, Bralove said.

For more information about volunteering for Citizens on Patrol, e-mail COP@owingsmillsnewtown.org. For more information on the OMNT association, visit owingsmillsnewtown.org.