Residents who live along the northwest border of the city and county voiced concerns about crime Wednesday night. City Councilman Isaac 'Yitzy' Schleifer and County Councilman Izzy Patoka hosted the town hall, which featured law enforcement leaders from Baltimore City and Baltimore County.
In a packed room in the Edward Myerberg Center, residents spoke out about open air drug markets, drag racing and squatting. But one concern rose to the top — one that Charles Parrish spoke to — frustration over young people committing crime.
“I wish we would stop acting like stealing isn’t a serious crime,” said Parrish to a round of applause. “We weren't called juveniles when we committed a crime. We were called criminals, whether it be by our family, or by the courts.”
Parrish and others said they are tired of seeing a revolving door surrounding young offenders who steal. County Police statistics show car thefts have gone up 175% this year, with juveniles committing 13% of those crimes.
At a council hearing Monday, Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough said officers are frustrated too.
“Some of these youngsters are laughing at our officers saying they know we can't do anything to them,” McCullough testified. “The kids have already figured out the new rules. They are choosing the kid under age 13 to be the driver. So we have 11-year-olds with no license, no training, driving these stolen cars at high speeds.“
McCullough is referring to a set of reforms passed by state lawmakers that went into effect last year. The Juvenile Justice Reform Act passed the General Assembly in 2022, and then-Governor Larry Hogan allowed it to become law without his signature. It set the minimum age for prosecution at 13, while courts adopted age-appropriate language so that those involved could better understand their rights.
Officers must also make efforts to notify parents, before interrogation.
Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger (D) said the changes took power away from law enforcement. At the town hall, he told residents to take action.
“Call your legislators,” urged Shellenberger. “Tell them that you want changes made to the Juvenile Justice Reform Act, because we need to be able to get these kids the help they need so they don't commit worse crimes later.”
Feeling the heat, Delegate Althea McCaskill who sat in the audience, rose up to defend her vote on the bill. The Baltimore County Democrat admitted the law isn’t working as intended.
“When this legislation was passed, the intent we thought was to help our officers on the streets,” said McCaskill. “We had psychologists come in and testify on brain development [on] 13-year-olds versus eight-year-olds. We thought that we had it all right. But I am an adult who can admit mistakes. I believe that we need to correct it.”
McCaskill said lawmakers are already looking at potential changes to the law.
