CRIME SPIKES IN MARDELA

Last night, the Mardela Springs VFC hosted a community meeting to address the spike in crime that has occurred in both the town limits and the surrounding areas. In attendance was Sheriff Mike Lewis along with Chief Baker and Deputy Ray, County Council Representative Stevie Prettyman (Vice President) and the Mardela Springs Town Commissioners headed by David Insley.

The purpose of this meeting was to address a series of recent crimes including but not limited to, theft, vandalism, burglary, mdop and so on. Sheriff Lewis gave many statistics about the number of crimes in Mardela over the last couple of months as well as the policing stats including the number of patrol checks, number of calls, number of arrests, and so on. These statistics were broken down to every level and thoroughly explained.

After the presentation, the crowd of over 100 people from all walks including members of the fire department, First Baptist Church, and local business owners asked a wide array of questions. These questions were given very detailed and complete answers which the locals appreciated. After a little over 2 hours, the session was over. Although the people of Mardela were very upset, everyone acted in a calm and orderly manner. There wasn't any yelling, bickering or feuding between anyone in attendance. This says a great deal about the kind of people that live in Mardela Springs. The Sheriff did note that the Mardela area as a whole has very low crime compared to the rest of the county.

Some pointers that were given out from the sheriff's department are:

Do not wait to call 911 or the sheriff's department if you witness a crime or are suspicious about activity you see or hear.

You are legally allowed to apprehend any person including juveniles who commit a crime, but this is not what the Sheriff's office suggests you do. Instead, try to get a detailed description of any suspects including any vehicle involved, most importantly tag numbers. Get a direction of travel or possibly take a picture if a camera is handy. Then call 911 or the sheriff's office right away. Don't think about it for 20 minutes and then call, Don't call the parents or house of the people you think were involved. Let the experts handle this.

If you are a parent, please keep an eye on your own children. Don't think that YOUR child won't do anything bad. Keep an eye on their cell phone usage, get to know their friends and their friends parents. Don't let your children make their own plans to sleep over at someone's house. Call the other parents and verify everything to be true. If you do catch your child doing something, you may be the best disciplinarian in the world, but also consider letting the authorities know because it might not be the first time, or it might not be the last.

Lock all of your belongings at all times. Although crimes tend to happen more at night, they also do happen during the day. The times of leaving cars, sheds and houses unlocked are over. Keep your outside lights on and trim any bushes next to your entryway or windows.

Don't keeps piles of rubble and garbage around. This might become the vandals next tool for breaking windows, smashing cars, or projectiles launched at you or your house.

Do not call a neighbor to search your property for intruders if you also call the Sheriff's office. The responding officer does not know who this person is and why they are there. They might just end up starring down the business end of a loaded gun. Please, for every ones safety, call the authorities.

I can't stress enough to please call 911 or the Sheriff's at 410-548-4891 as soon as possible.

Sheriff Lewis also explained how the new technology has helped make the sheriff's office even better. In a picture above he is showing a rugged laptop computer deputies are using. This lets the officer on patrol have access to everything he or she needs through a wireless connection (WIFI). Report information can be entered right away. Research can be done right away. This is something that not all police agencies have. I've heard rumors that none of this technology is working. Let me dispel that rumor. The technology that the sheriff's office has introduced through the use of seized assets, is working just fine. Go ahead and commit a crime, you'll soon find out.

Another tool at the Sheriff's office disposal is K-9 patrols. They have (8) dogs and handlers in use. Maryland State Police have (1) and the Salisbury Police have (0). These dogs are used all over the county including use by the State and Salisbury. If someone runs from your home, these dogs can track them right to their doorstep. Two of the dogs can sniff out bombs, and the rest can smell the drugs.

In closing, I would like to thank the Mardela fire company for hosting this meeting. I would like to thank the town council for making the arrangements and the citizens of Mardela for caring about their community. I would like to give a huge kudos to the Sheriff's office and Mike Lewis. He was a true professional in every aspect. He is a hands on leader who not only tells his fine men and women how to fight crime, but also does it by example. We should all be very grateful that he is our sheriff because not every office of law enforcement has this great leadership. I would also like to thank Stevie Prettyman for her concerns about our town. Most people in and around Salisbury don't realize we exist or that we have a middle and high school. Mrs. Prettyman has always been there for our community and I would like to thank her.