You're In Or You're Out. Either Way, Ireton Is Boss

Let’s face it -- Jim Ireton is working with Barrie Tilghman's administration, or making every attempt to do so. But are Barrie’s staff people making every attempt to work with Jim Ireton?

Let’s face it -- he is being set up to fail. The citizens who supported and voted for him can see it as plain as day.

Monday night, Louise Smith raised concern about the increase in crime. Now, is that genuine concern from a woman who voted against additional police and their second year of raises? Or it that a little stab at the new mayor who campaigned on a crime reduction platform, despite being in office less than two months and saddled with his predecessor’s people?

Very recently, Terry Cohen debunked statements made by John Pick, more than once during the ethics commission hearing. No malice on Terry’s part, just the facts, ma’am. Likewise, her showing up Paul Wilber, who apparently can’t read the Maryland constitution. How many times does Paul Wilber have to err in favor of Barrie Tilghman and her cronies, costing the taxpayers to make a mess and again to clean up the mess, before Mayor Ireton sees what is going on and dumps him?

Chief Webster’s most recent slap in the face, of the public and Mayor Ireton, has got to open his eyes. Chief Webster railed against Jim Ireton in the Daily Times, stating adamantly that crime was down. Now that Jim is Mayor, crime is on the rise and Barrie Tilghman’s chief of police has nothing to say about that and he shuts down the Narcotics Task Force! Surely Jim Ireton can clearly see what is going on here.

If Chief Webster doesn’t fight the “war on drugs,” crime will definitely increase. In fact, he isn’t and hasn’t done the fight and the crime is already increasing. According to Chief Webster, there are no gangs in Salisbury, and since there are no gangs, does this mean there is not a drug problem? Gangs = drugs = prostitution = robberies = assaults = home invasions = burglaries = murders. Even before there were gangs in Salisbury, there were drugs, so why shut down the task force?

The State of Maryland provided the lower shore with a mobile Methadone unit, unveiled by the county recently. The thought is to provide Methadone, a synthetic opiate, to heroin addicts. If we have no need of a drug task force, why does the state feel we have a need for a very expensive mobile drug-dispensing unit? Does anyone else see the irony in this?

The Salisbury Police Department has been understaffed for years. This is not news to anyone that has been paying attention. The turnover has never been higher than since Chief Webster has been there. You cannot keep good men and women if you have inadequate leadership. Chief Webster has proven, for a very long time, to be inadequate.

Barrie Tilghman along with the scheme team of Dunn, Comegys, Cathcart and Shields have expanded the limits of the city thereby expanding the coverage required by an already understaffed police department. These same people have also denied the required relief to an already overworked, understaffed and poorly equipped department.

I would like to suggest to Chief Webster that he follow the lead of Sheriff Mike Lewis and many other LEO’s in his position. Reinstitute the drug task force, make those big drug arrests and get convictions. Then lay claim to the drug money, vehicles and useable properties to better equip the officers at Salisbury Police Department instead of sticking every penny of that equipment on the backs of the taxpayers. The officers at SPD should not have to fight 21st century crime with 20th century technology and equipment.

And if the Chief can’t do that, then he needs to do the right thing and resign. And if he won’t do that, then the people of Salisbury need to rise up and let the city council -- especially Smith, Comegys and Shields -- know that they need to back Mayor Ireton firing Chief Webster.