Slow response AN HOUR is an eternity in emergencies...

Slow response

AN HOUR is an eternity in emergencies. Yet, it took Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. crews 64 minutes to reach the scene of a fatal accident near Columbia while downed wires kept rescue workers from trapped victims.

The horrendously long delay apparently did not cause the death of the Howard County student whose speeding car knocked over the utility pole on the last day of the school year. (One passenger also died in the crash, while another escaped.) But the public demands a much better response.

The utility offered a flimsy explanation for the late arrival: Its closest crews were restoring power in Manchester and Westminster.

The utility should be able to respond immediately when lives are on the line. BGE has substations throughout its coverage area, including one in Howard County. And the company said it had trained additional workers to work on high-voltage electrical wires after it was slow restoring power to customers in the wake of Hurricane Floyd in 1999. One of those trained should have reached the accident a lot sooner.

Comeback

DECLINE ONCE seemed inevitable in Brooklyn Park, the Anne Arundel neighborhood on Baltimore's southern border. But the county, a councilwoman and police have teamed with residents over the past 18 months to make the area cleaner and safer. Their efforts are paying off.

A major help was a state Hot Spots grant for the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood. The money has boosted police visibility and added a parole and probation officer, a juvenile-services counselor and a domestic counselor. More arrests are being made, and drug dealing has become either less active or more invisible.

On top of the Hot Spots grant are other efforts. The Brooklyn Park Middle School and Chesapeake Center for the Creative Arts give the community its focal point. The county's public works department sends trucks weekly to collect bulk trash. The county's zoning office is vigorously enforcing a year-old law that empowers inspectors to fineproperty owners who allow debris or untagged vehicles to linger. And the county is making life more difficult for negligent landlords.

Tougher laws and enforcement are making a big difference. That doesn't mean the fight against crime, trash and decay are over. Some days, the difference is astounding; other days, the need for more progress is obvious, said Councilwoman Pamela G. Beidle, who has worked closely with police and other county workers.

While northern Anne Arundel County continues cleaning up its act, its officials should reach across the border to coordinate improvement strategies with Baltimore City.