Five times yesterday friends and family said to me, "Be careful if you are out after dark" or "Don't go out after dark unless you have to."
When we are asked to not go out and get our money, not to go get fast food, not to go get ice cream in our own car, with our own money and on our own time, do we give in and let the criminal elements in our community know that we have given up?
Had the past month seen big drug busts, awards won by our city, or the announcements of new task forces, our leaders would have been out in droves. Yet yesterday, Presidents Day, when we celebrate the great leaders of our nation, our city leaders were silent on issues that our community faces.
To the families of victims, to the businesses affected, to the citizens that travel to the same places where crime occurs there were no words to calm, no assurances that safety and order is being restored, no sense that we can get through tough times together.
I salute our officers investigating a month of violence in our community, doing all they can to bring perpetrators to justice. Our elected leaders? They garner a different emotion, because our elected leaders have been silent.
Leading and protecting every part of our community must be done even when our collective conscience is rattled by violence in our midst. Leaders have to lead when what we as citizens hold as safe and constant, no longer is.
Jim
49 comments:
Thank you, Jim, for standing up publicly on this. It counts.
That question mark aint going to cut it. Please tell the citizens of Salisbury how you will handle the Salisbury police department problems. Be specific and be honest. You want to LEAD do it now.
Not to Worry . . .
Thanks to Barrie & Bubba (and taxpayers funding) Salisbury will soon be named an "All American City"!
Give Sheriff Lewis a big increase in pay along with his deputies and put them in charge of Salisbury!All county residents should take this matter VERY SERIOUS, our future and our kids future are at stake. When you are scared to be out and about in the City that is in the middle of your County We All need to say ENOUGH! I do not know Jim but it looks as if he has Guts ! I do not have the answer but I will help if I can.
Administration people stay home when darkness falls except if they are going to the Market Street Inn.
Little more than political rhetoric. There is a vast difference between "being afraid" to go out after dark and "being aware" when you do.
We've had over a month of scare tactics and rhetoric from Obama Pelosi and Reid...let's not import it into our local discussions please.
put cameras all over salisbury London Did It. Crime down a lot and mor crimes solved and more bad guys off the street.
Just wait, you'll see Comegys come out with a statement that looks remarkably like Jim's. I don't know what 2:11 is talking about--Ireton isn't trying to scare people, he is trying to get some leadership out of the folks who are supposed to provide it. We've has a pile of murders, robberies, and home invasions lately, and the response from out city's leadership is silence. That is ridiculous.
actually crime in London hasn't changed.. and the cameras haven't really helped.. look at the real statistics
it sounds good, but doesn't work
This is the man who will make a difference in our town.
Jim, We need to get to the root cause of crimes. In my opinion, we
need to quit ignoring the fact that we have gangs and hookers on our streets. We have 4 county high schools in addition to private schools that will be graduating hundreds that will have no jobs to go to. I agree with Doug Wilkerson in that we are in desperate need of specifics.
I am all for Jim for Mayor. I would ask though, that whomever wins the election, meet with the patrol officers who work the streets to find out what the problems are. Meeting with the "higher ups" will only get you smoke up your tail end.
Here is the strategy....
CREATE A "SEASONAL POLICE FORCE" the way Ocean City does. Get MPTC to grant the same exact exemption on police training.
Churn out 100 more officers in 2 weeks, and keep them on the job 3 months to quell this nightmare going on all over town.
I support a seasonal police force
Comparing Rhetoric coming from politicians and getting shot 9 times at a ATM? Let me think about it or better yet Lets all think about! Yea I'am scared and AWARE!And mad and sick and tired! Its time to act!
2:11..that's me.. is totally aware of the crime that is taking place. But to paint a picture that we are all afraid to go out of our homes after dark and that no one is doing anything abiout it is total political BS.
I join the other poster who asked that Ireton provide details on what,exactly, he would do as opposed to simply employing the tired tactics of simply criticizing without providing solutions....and "elect me" is not a solution I might add
the bottom line every one agrees on is more police are needed
88 officers for the last quater century is a major culprit of all this crime
gotta love sleezeburry
wheres the plan...or did I miss something
prob. # 1 Barrie PT.
#2 a chief from the rat squad
#3 inept leaders at SPD
Dunkin Doughnuts is now closed until further notice...lock up criminals
Salisbury:
Do the smart thing in the primary -- "double shot" vote for both Ireton and Caldwell (Yes, you can), and
Let's Bump Bubba!
Hey, guys, you want to know where Barrie is: she's on PAC14 instructing on how to make Maryland biscuits. It's true!
Go to one of the forums, or go to Jim's website if you want details--he has made very specific proposals (which, b the way, Comegys has added "me too!" like he does on everything else Jim proposes). This particular note was more about calling out our so-called leaders for their silence on this issue. You are criticizing the wrong guy for not having a plan--Ireton, of ALL of the candidates, has been the most specific about what he believes to be the causes of the crime and the solutions to it. Go to the forums and ask him, and believe me, Ireton will give you all the details you can handle, and everyone else will offer vague generalizations.
anon 2:41...you can't be serious. "Train" a police officer in two weeks??? to do what? And where do you find qualified people willing to go up against gun toting druggies for 3 months after 2 weeks of training....now that's a scary proposition.
2:46 We agree, I too like details and would like to see a plan not just talk. But before you can have a solution you must identify that there is a real problem. This (impo) has not been done.I support ALL police officers 100% because they live it everyday too in alot worse fashion. It is easy to say we are aware and not scared until it happens to you or someone you know! I will do some research on the "plan"
anon 3:14..good point and I intend to listen closely to all the candidiates.But I see this as a police issue and I am far more interested in what Mike Lewis and Al Webster have to say about the recent crime...I am not nearly as interested in what any of the politicians have to say about it.....it's the police who will get this issue resolved or not.
The radar guns need to be put away for a few months and some REAL police work needs to be done by beefing up patrols in the high-crime areas and patroling ATM's more than once a night. Police presence is the best crime deterrant! I would much rather see someone going a couple of miles over the speed limit than to see the crimes are taking place in this city!! Don't think for one minute that the thugs in this area don't know each officer's routine, because they do. One ride-through doesn't do it...keep riding through these "hoods" until the thugs give up! I'm mad as hell and I'm tired of being afraid to go out after dark. My tax dollars pay for this crap of a police force and it's not working...I want my money back!!!
anonymous 3:34,
You must not have been listening then. The Chief got on TV today and stated crime is DOWN in the City. I think we've ALL heard enough of what Chief Webster has to say.
Anon the mo-ron 319
241 has a sound plan...
2 weeks ----14 days
day 1--how to apply hand cuffs
day 2--NCIC/NLETS inquiries
day 3--defensive tactics
day 4--range shooting
day 5--breathalizer tests
day 6--driving
day 7--night shooting
day 8--use of a police bike
day 9--Monandock/pepper spray training
day 10-Miranda rights
day 11-Court procedures
day 12-radio protocal
day 13-PT
day 14-graduate
total training---140hrs as required by MPTC for seasonal in OC
SPD goes from 88 to 188 over night!
a seasonal police force is the best idea i've heard of in a long time
send them to handle noise complaints and traffic
SPD needs ar-15's///to scare kids
I second a seasonal pd force...crime goes up when the weather is nice
a seasonal police force, whata great idea!
Double or nothing baby
anon 319 guranteed if a job bulletin went up hiring 100 people @ $15 hr for pd work, people would be applyin like no other
Checked the economy lately?
UR already receiving a govt. check
OH NO HE DIDNT! Please tell me the chief of police in Salisbury did not get on local television today and state crime is down. He can't possibly believe we are that stupid or can he?
I see many comments about additional police needed, however, once the police do their jobs and arrest criminals, the court does not impose nearly any penalties at all. The police must be frustrated putting their lives on the line and then these punk *ss criminals get very little time/punishment. I say once the case goes to court strict penalties/sentences must be imposed to make a point to those thinking about committing crimes! So maybe it's the judges that need to be replaced...or is it that there is not room in jail so they don't impose more jail time? does anyone know why these criminals get light sentences?
Once convicted, all criminals of child bearing age should be "fixed" so they won't be spreading their gene's around so we have more of the same for the next few generations. These people should not have the privilege of having children!
Mrs. Tom
You guys got some good points , however , crime is bad all over the country. The primary reason
is we give the criminals a smack on the wrist and let them go.
Crime will continue to get worse
because of the lawyers and judges.
Look at the papers , everyone gets off without serving time.If there is a gun involved in the crime ,
then empty your gun on the criminal. It's called "cost savings"
were have to act freakin busy Going after stupid crimes like seatbelt tickets - the city police sit in the Ramada and look for It instead of patroling some of our Nast streets. go after Criminals that comit Hanus and real crimes
Constant patrol saturation in bad neighborhoods would be a start.
Anon 3:45
where is criminal law and constitutional law? Or are we just gonna train 100 rookies how to beat people and not worry about their rights? Who is the moron? you are gonna spend a day on "police bikes" and no time on rights?
I'll take being judged by 12 any day over being carried by 6.
anon 7:34...get off that mobile data terminal I paid for with my tax $.
look at day 10...miranda rights (shoot now, ? later)
I'm good with this and with Ireton. He's said all along, more cops, for starters. Bubba would rather give toys to his fire buddies. Ireton's mentioned some other things, like getting cops out of desks and onto streets. Bubba just wants to trust the chief and say crime is down.
Caldwell's said some of the same stuff as Ireton. Caldwell seems okay, but I just don't get a sense of urgency from him. When I watched that show on PAC14 with the 4 candidates, Ireton just seemed to have that "fire in the belly."
get the men and women of spd money..more officers, better equipement end of story...then they will be chasing down the criminal element with greater hunger and no discontent
stop the bs...get the us the money, the man power, and the tools to get the job done and see the drastic improvement
Ireton or Caldwell will be fine. No city voter could want the Comegys jester. What is he supposed to be anyway other than a puppet for the slumlords?
Riding around looking for criminals isn't as productive as setting up check points at different locations and stopping cars and getting some of the druggies, drunks,criminals and unlicenced drivers off the streets. Confiscating their cars and impounding them for illegal drugs usually gets their attention. Considering the crime rate you should get a bunch.
One way to help the neighborhoods would be to organize block by block. Have concerned residents contact one person who is computer savy and send them any information of suspicious activty to all who have computers. In an emergency flyers could be distributed. Once you have the neighborhood organized invite the local police out to hear your concerns.
Involve the students....They don't like criminals any better than you do.
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