But using a knife, two screwdrivers, a stapler, pliers, one needle and some thread, a civilian member of the Annapolis Police Department - appropriately nicknamed Macgyver - stepped in and repaired the gown in the nick of time.

The 17-year-old girl had been putting the finishing touches on her prom-night look May 16 when the zipper "popped right off the track," she said. Frantic, Sierra called her mother, Deserae at Annapolis Walk, where classmates and family were gathered for pre-prom photographs.

Mrs. Brown tried to calm her daughter down, and sent her son to various tailors around the city to inquire about a quick fix. After being told no one would repair the dress short notice, the teen pulled out last year's prom dress and tried to accessorize the backup.

"I didn't have shoes (that matched)," Sierra said. "...I actually had called my friend and said I wasn't going to be able to go. I was crying and she was just saying it was going to be okay."

In the meantime, Annapolis Walk, between Bywater Road and Greenbriar Lane, was abuzz with news of the teen's dilemma.

Noticing that Mrs. Brown was distraught, city police Officer Ben Keck approached the woman and asked what was wrong.

Officer Keck isn't much of a sewer himself, but he told Mrs. Brown he knew someone who was and offered to help.

He dialed up Stacey L. Bolin, a victim outreach worker for the Annapolis Police Department. For years, she has been sewing patches and making alterations on officers' uniforms.

At the time, Mrs. Bolin said she was at a local convenience store deciding what lottery numbers would make her an instant millionaire.

"I got a distressing phone call from Officer Keck," she said. "He said he needed my help and I was going to find this really odd, but it was important."

She figured the officer was standing with a victim, because she could hear what sounded like screaming in the background.

"I was so proud of myself - the police were inviting me in the field," Mrs. Bolin said. "Then he said there was a dress blow-out. He said, 'A zipper. A zipper.' I couldn't put two-and-two together. I was thinking somehow somebody had gotten hurt with a dress."

Mrs. Bolin agreed to help and headed to Annapolis Walk, where she was shown the dress in distress.

She took one look at the bejeweled hot pink halter gown and immediately listed off what tools she would need.

"I told him (Officer Keck) I needed two flat-head screwdrivers, and he's looking at me like I'm out of my mind," she said. "I told him I needed a pair of pliers, and a knife."

Officer Keck pulled out a weapon Mrs. Bolin described as a "Rambo knife" and handed it over.

"I said, 'Geez Rambo, I didn't know you could carry a blade like that,'" she said. "But the thing was so dull it couldn't cut butter."

Mrs. Bolin got the tools from the officer's patrol car, sat on the ground, and got to work. To everyone's amazement, she fixed the zipper, but there were still some snags that couldn't be easily repaired.

"I told Sierra if we're going to get you to this prom, we're going to have to sew you back into this dress," Mrs. Bolin said. "Five of us ladies were in here. One was holding her in and one was holding her up."

Sierra admitted she was nervous about the repair.

"I didn't know what the outcome was going to be," she said. "But I was hoping for the best."

To the teen's surprise, the new alterations were even better than the original fixes made on the gown after she bought it. She had to have someone cut her out of the dress after the night was over, but it was worth it.

"I was very comfortable," she said. "I was able to dance and I had a great time."

Mrs. Brown said the family is grateful for Officer Keck and Mrs. Bolin.

"They saved the day," she said. "They saved the entire day. They just went above and beyond the call of duty."

Mrs. Bolin was glad she was able to help.

"When I was little, things were (financially) tight," she said. "So when something broke, I had to fix it instead of buying a new one. My mom always called me Macgyver."

And now, the Annapolis Police Department does too.