Published: January 09, 2009 12:00 am      

Security concerns DDC members

In wake of Christmas Eve incident, boosting police presence, cameras discussed

CUMBERLAND — A Christmas Eve incident that led to a Town Centre shop owner being held at gunpoint has put security on the minds of downtown business owners and the Downtown Development Commission.

“One of the things I’ve noticed downtown is a lot of vendors are keeping their back doors locked,” said Dave Romero, chairman of the DDC. “There is a heightened sensitivity to security issues.”

It was about 3:20 p.m. Christmas Eve when Maryland Treasures owner Deborah Mathew heard a commotion at the back door of 43 Baltimore St. and opened it to find two black males yelling at her, one allegedly armed with a black automatic handgun.

Mathews said the men held her at gunpoint for a few minutes, telling her they were trying to find the music store and saying they wanted drums. The men fled, Mathews was uninjured and police are still investigating the case.

Police said the suspects were likely looking for Kauffman Music, which is next door at 45 Baltimore St.

The DDC discussed steps Thursday that could help with Town Centre security. One idea was placing another camera on Pershing Street, which would overlook Merchants Alley.

There are two cameras overlooking the downtown area. And, according to city police Capt. Kevin Ogle, adding a camera with zoom features could cost a couple thousand dollars plus installation fees.

And though police response is very quick, another idea was to increase foot and bike patrols along the mall.

“We do regular routine patrols down there throughout all three shifts when manpower allocates it,” Ogle said.

Downtown Manager Ed Mullaney said manpower may be tight and response time is great, but a regular officer downtown shouldn’t be ruled out.

“Someone that does that beat on a regular basis would be a good proactive approach,” he said. “It would let the officer get to know the people downtown.”

Mullaney also suggested some businesses may want to look into a security camera system like the one in Monkey Business.

Vicki Macy, owner of Monkey Business, has had a camera system in place since she opened in March 2007.

“We wanted to be prepared,” she said.

The system allows Macy to view all angles of the store. She can also access the cameras from her home.

“I feel it’s doing the job,” she said. “I hope it helps deter people; make them think twice before robbing us. I would definitely recommend (a security camera system), you can never be too safe.”

Jack Mathew, husband of Deborah Mathew, said they are in the process of installing security cameras and alarms.

“I think it’s a good idea for any business owner,” he said. “It can range from a couple hundred dollars to a couple thousand depending on the extent they want to go to. But yes, I think it’s a good idea because, unfortunately, people like taking what’s not theirs.”

However, some owners aren’t quite ready to put up cameras and alarms.

Roger Lantz, owner of M&M Bakery, has been around for 42 years and isn’t too worried about security.

“I’ve always been careful,” he said. “We’re here at 2 a.m. so we take a lot of precautions. We watch out for each other and keep the doors locked until we open. I just keep a lookout; I’ve been around long enough to know to just watch out.”

Other precautions business owners can take include keeping doors not used for customer entry locked; if possible, not being in the building alone; placing a height ruler along the entry door frame; and paying attention to details.

Contact Tess Hill at thill@times-news.com.