Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith
Celebration of 350 Years of Public Safety in Baltimore County

June 10, 2009

It is a pleasure to join all of you today in Patriot Plaza to continue our year-long celebration of Baltimore County’s 350th Anniversary. Our anniversary celebration would not be complete without recognizing the importance and contribution of public safety to the history of our County.

A Proud History

The Baltimore County of today bears little resemblance to the territory that was first formed here in 1659 at the order of Lord Baltimore. What was once a vague geographic approximation of untamed wilderness, home to only a few farms, is now home to some of the most historic and most successful neighborhoods in all of America. In the three and a half centuries since our founding, generations of men and women have realized their potential here in Baltimore County, establishing strong families and vibrant communities that endure to this day.

But none of what has been accomplished here would have been possible without the vigilance, courage, dedication, and sacrifice of those in public safety throughout our history. Whether they are police officers, firefighters, paramedics, sheriffs, or corrections officers, their professionalism, selflessness, and tireless dedication have been critical to Baltimore County’s security and prosperity.

Public safety has been, and remains, the foundation upon which everything else in our communities is built. If the people of Baltimore County did not feel safe where they lived, worked, and shopped, our neighborhoods would not grow and our businesses would not prosper.

Courage and Compassion

The men and women who serve and protect Baltimore County do so in many different ways, from patrolling the streets of our neighborhoods, to saving a child from a burning building, to transporting a prisoner from trial to prison, to saving a life on the way to the hospital. But they are united by common virtues—courage and compassion--courage and compassion that have driven them to answer the call to service and to put the lives of their neighbors ahead of their own. They make our communities places that we can truly call home. Reliable public safety is interwoven into the fabric of our proud history, as essential to our progress and growth as any buildings, industry, or legislation.

For as early as 1659, it was to the County Sheriff, the preeminent force of law in the colonial era, that the decree, which is noted as the first mention of Baltimore County in the historical record, was handed down. And as our County grew, so too did the need for agencies and public minded people to protect and serve its growing population. Citizens formed their own volunteer fire companies in the mid-1700s, a proud tradition that continues to this day. When Baltimore County separated from Baltimore City in the 1850’s, a jail was constructed in Towson to hold those charged and convicted of crimes. Later, in 1874, the Baltimore County Police Department was created by the Maryland State Legislature. And the County’s first career fire stations were opened a few years later in 1882.

Past and Present

Of course, these organizations have all undergone significant changes since their beginnings. They have grown and evolved along with our evolving and growing communities. Today, they utilize technology that their predecessors of even fifty years ago could scarcely imagine. But one thing that has not changed is their courage, compassion, and commitment to selfless service.

The people of Baltimore County owe a great debt to the sheriffs, police officers, firefighters, paramedics, corrections officers, and to all those who have protected us in our homes and neighborhoods. Everything we have accomplished throughout the history of Baltimore County has been built upon their hard work, sacrifice, and care for others. To the men and women who have devoted themselves to the safety and security of this County, I pledge that we will always support your efforts, and we will always honor your service.