After a violent week in which Toledo recorded five homicides, more than 100 people gathered Monday to share their concerns about the city.

Police Chief George Kral heard residents’ observations regarding their neighborhoods and safety for nearly two hours at the University of Toledo’s college of health science and human services building.

Their suggestions ranged widely and included improving recognition of mental health concerns, buying body cameras for police officers, and focusing policing on gangs.

Albert Earl, Jr., 49, said he believes violent crime in Toledo is stifling the kind of business growth that could improve quality of life.

“The reality is, there’s not going to be a lot of investment in the community until we clean up the violence,” Mr. Earl told the crowd.

Companies would like to build in an urban community, but worry about potential violence and return on investment, he said later.

Relatively poor areas of the city host a disproportionate number of establishments such as liquor stores and fast food restaurants, Mr. Earl said. 

They lack more desirable establishments such as manufacturing centers, banks, and grocery stories, he said.

The recent spike in violence is concerning, he said, because it casts Toledo in a negative light.

Darrick Colbert, 24, reminded the crowd that Toledo is often included in national surveys as a miserable city. He said racial tension is thick as well, and he urged camaraderie.

“Our mood and our energy here is so combative,” he said.

Too many of the city’s young people move away once they become adults, he said. “Everyone’s out here for survival,” he said.

For William Berry, 26, a more courteous attitude from officers on patrol would go a long way.

The first 30 seconds of any interaction between police and civilians sets the tone, and he said police too often take an adversarial approach. Hearing “What are you up to?” instead of friendlier questions is worrisome, he said.

“They live here and we live here,” he said of the police-community relationship.

Forums such as these are helpful, but the real measure is whether change occurs, he said.

Much of the discussion addressed what police can do to improve safety. Chief Kral said even a several-fold increase in officers can unfortunately not stop many homicides from occurring.

“The past eight days have been pretty rough in the city of Toledo,” he said.

Members of the crowd seemed surprised when Chief Kral said the department employs 634 sworn officers. Participants in the town hall meeting expected the department had significantly more officers.

Police need the public’s help, the chief said, which comes from building trust and meeting regularly with residents. 

“We’re laying the foundation here,” he said.

Sherri Munn said that she was impressed by the large turnout for the forum. Events such as these improve relations, she said.

“It shows their willingness to want to partner and give the community a voice,” Ms. Munn said.

Contact Ryan Dunn at: rdunn@theblade.com, 419-724-6095, or on Twitter @rdunnblade.

First Published August 18, 2015, 4:00 a.m.