Residents near Jessup's eight state prison facilities want flashing lights and cable announcements to alert them when an inmate escapes.
"The people in Jessup are really worried about it," said Gary Prestianni, president of the Ridgelys Run Community Association, a year-old civic group that represents the Jessup neighborhoods in Howard County. "Most of the people in our community can't hear the alarm."
Three weeks ago, Mr. Prestianni asked state Sen. Martin G. Madden, a District 13B Republican, for more warning signals, including flashing lights and cable television announcements.
Mr. Madden contacted state Correction Division officials and said the request will be considered at the April 20 meeting between the prisons' wardens and the prisons' citizen advisory group.
"To the extent that [Mr. Prestianni's] suggestions can be incorporated, we would like to see them happen," Mr. Madden said.
Mr. Madden also said that he and correction officials would consider for the first time adding a Howard County resident to the prisons' Citizens Advisory Board, which includes only Jessup residents living in Anne Arundel County. Mr. Prestianni said Howard County concerns have been overlooked because of the lack of representation.
Maxine Eldridge, a spokeswoman for the state Correction Division, said a Howard representative would be welcome. "Citizen participation is encouraged," she said, adding that residents' suggestions would be "looked at."
Concerns about neighborhood security were heightened last August when a 31-year-old inmate, who was serving time for armed robbery, escaped from the only state prison in Howard County, the Patuxent Institution.
The inmate cut through steel bars at his cell window with a hacksaw and climbed over an outer fence. He was arrested a week later in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Prison neighbors in both counties were angry because they did not hear any alarms signaling the escape. And Howard County residents say the alarms are always difficult to hear.
In October, after the Citizens Advisory Board complained, prison officials agreed to examine alarm systems and install a $52,000 razor-wire fence around the prison.
Residents from Mr. Prestianni's community want signals such as flashing lights and cable announcements, because they can't hear the sirens. They also are concerned that sirens signaling a daytime escape might be turned off by the time working people get home. Those people won't know that an inmate has escaped, they say.
Howard County residents say they want more signs identifying the area as a prison area to warn motorists against picking up hitchhikers. Most of the prison signs are near the Anne Arundel County line or in that county.
"There are no road signs telling people that this is a prison area and not to pick up hitchhikers," Mr. Prestianni said. "That isn't safe."
Melanie Gutjhar, chairwoman of the prisons' citizen advisory group, said some of the ideas might be acceptable, but too many signs indicating prisons nearby might hurt property values.
"The real estate prices are depressed enough," Ms. Gutjhar said. "I don't know that [more signs] would be a good idea. But I would like to have him bring up some of his suggestions, #F because I think some of them have merit."