A lack of volunteers has kept the Guardian Angels from gaining a foothold in Harford.

Only nine people from Edgewood have signed up or expressed interest in joining the New York-based community patrol group, said Baltimore chapter head Marcus Dent.

“We need to put an Angel presence in Harford County to talk to people, let them know who we are and what we can do. ...” he said, referring to the Angels’ distinctive red jackets and berets.

“But given the limitations of the number of people we have, it’s rough when you do a meeting every month or every other month and hope the people come to you.”

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The community patrol group has been seeking to start a chapter in Harford for almost two years at the behest of County Councilman Dion Guthrie, of Edgewood and Joppatowne.

To train volunteers, local sites must be found so Angels in Harford wouldn’t have to travel all the way to Baltimore City for meetings and training, Dent said.

Sheriff Jesse Bane said he had hoped more people would have signed up.

“There needs to be a Harford County version of Marcus Dent,” Bane said.

Dent brought Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa and leaders from the Washington, D.C., chapter to a community meeting this week in the Villages at Lakeview, the first Edgewood apartment complex to invite the Angels to patrol.

“I think the meeting pumped people up, particularly having Curtis there,” said Guthrie.

While another community, Harford Square, also has begun expressing interest in having the Angels patrol, Guthrie said the Angels’ slow start might be a result of the Sheriff’s Office’s success.

“I think the residents now are feeling more confident with the job the Sheriff’s Office is doing,” Guthrie said.

“More people are stepping up to the plate to work with the sheriff; more people are reporting crimes when they happen.”

Dent and Guthrie said they were working on an informal community patrol Sunday to increase the Angels’ visibility.

msantoni@baltimoreexaminer.com