Having served as State’s Attorney for over twenty-three years and further having seen the evolving nature of crimes committed within the City of Salisbury and its immediate vicinity, I am hereby calling on the Mayor and City County, with the support of the State of Maryland and the United States Government to immediately fund a minimum of an additional thirty-five (35) sworn law enforcement officers for the City of Salisbury. There has been little growth in the number of sworn police officers over the past fifteen (15) years, even though the City has annexed land which has brought additional responsibilities upon its police department. The officers are responding from call to call on any given day and night in the City.
An additional thirty-five police officers would allow for more proactive approaches to crime within the City of Salisbury and would provide for additional resources to their Criminal Investigation Division to concentrate on unsolved crimes that require extensive investigation. With the numbers of reported crimes now occurring, neither the patrol officers nor the criminal investigators have adequate time or resources to devote to investigations before having to move on to other calls and reports.
In addition, to stem the turnover of sworn police officers I am calling on the Mayor and City Council to provide pay parity to other agencies operating in and around Wicomico County. It is imperative to keep the good, young officers here and to prevent them from being lured to other agencies for higher pay and a lesser work load.
I know that the burden upon the taxpayer may rise. However it is my belief that these measures are necessary to keep both our law enforcement officers as well as our citizenry safe while other measures are explored to decrease the nature and types of crimes that we are experiencing.
Davis
Davis R. Ruark
State's Attorney for Wicomico County
Circuit Courts Building
P. O. Box 1006
Salisbury, Maryland 21803-1006
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65 comments:
I think a lot of Ruark , but , I must disagree.
Crime is very bad in the city , as in Maryland.
The criminals get a smack the wrist and then back on the streets. We do not have proper punishment for the crime committed.
This will be money wasted , just my opinion.
Until something is done with our present judicial system , nothing will change.
Why do we always tap dance around the real issue?
Remember the time when an office gave 3 warnings "stop or I'll shoot", well I do. Put this back into effect and move on with things. You don't have to shoot them in the vital areas , but I do recommend that. Save the tax payers some money.
Glad I live in the County where it's safe and quiet.
Are you all prepared to raise taxes to pay for them? I am. We need to suck it up, raise taxes, and hire the police officers.
Well over due.
There's been NO GROWTH in the SPD, thanks to former Chief Webster.
Truth be told, they had 84 sworn Officers in 1984 and there has been no increase in that number since then. That's more than 26, almost 27 years Folks.
Former Mayor Barrie Tilghman, Mike Dunn, Lynn Cathcart, Gary Comegysm Louise Smith and Shanie Shields REFUSED to allow any additional Officers/Funding and we ALL knew when reality finally came around, (thank you Davis Ruark) the financial blow would be intense.
It's unfortunate that a man with 23 years experience can only stand up to what is right AFTER he is no longer in Office.
Nevertheless, the truth of reality is now upon us and this must be seriously considered by Mayor Ireton.
I have spoken directly with O'Malley and Ehrlich about the crime in Salisbury. We discussed the fact that the rest of the state, crime is down quite a bit. Salisbury is hurting the overall stats and clearly they have interest in participating.
I hope everyone else looks at this as serious as the matter truly is and supports this change by placing enough pressure on the Mayor to do something about crime in Salisbury.
Now we ALL know Louise Smith will not hear of it. She wants yet another Crime Task Force. I say, shut up Louise and step aside. The former Tilghman agenda of allowing crime to continue to rise so the State will continue to fund the SPD needs to end.
If we increase the Officers by 35 and some drop out and or relocate over time, at least we'll be in a better position to fight crime and perhaps send these criminals to Somerset County, God Forbid Webster wins the electoion down there. Then he can do business as usual and he can have what he left behind.
I think the country and Maryland is more in need of judges who will put criminals in jail and keep them there, more judges so criminal cases do not drag on for years. So what if criminals are stacked 8 to a two bed cell. Do the crime, pay the time immediately. What is the point of hiring more police officers only to have the judges let the criminals roam free over and over again.
How we going to pay for this?
Where does the money come from?
Particulary in this economic climate.
Cast this all forward another 10 years...the city and county tax base is eroding..at the same time that the socio economic mix of citizens is trending down..i.e. we have more citizens every year who are net consumers of government services.
Joe makes a critical point...where was Davis for the 3 decades that this all developed...why is it that elected leaders so often just allow the deterioration to continue without taking proactive stands on issues?
In life you either make dust or you eat dust...always being "behind the curve" is ruining our quality of life.
We need proactive leadership with a clear vision of where our community needs to steer itself.
In that regard, has anyone seen a strategic plan for the city?....for the county??
Why are we not looking ahead and adopting strategies and tactics that will address future needs and threats?
Dear Davis:
How about asking Pollitt to endorse a tax differential for Salisbury, Fruitland and Delmar so they would have more tax dollars to hire police.
Maybe the 4 shootings that just went down last night will change their stubborn selfish minds...
I agree 100% with Davis Ruark. This has been building for years and now we are faced to play catch up. I know several city police and yes they go from one incident to another not even time to write up a detailed report. We need money to pay for more police. Sell some of the big toys the fire department has. Stop sinking money into the port of nothing. Stop trying to purchase thed bricks, george l. ralph property. Stop
trying to purchase the laundry on anne st. all this looks FREE but it must be cleaned up and maintained. This costs money.
The council has put off hiring policemen and now it is time to pay the piper big time.
Louise it is past time you step aside and let someone who cares about our city take your place. Go back to Florida and bask in the sun.
I agree with increasing the SPD, but also agree with a change in the judicial system. Judges, please send these criminals/gang members to jail where they belong & leave them there a good long while. State & local governments, go ahead & add on the the WCDC to be able to accomodate the influx in inmates instead of letting everyone out because of over-crowding. This is not just a city problem it is also a county problem.
Now, someone tell all of us, why isn't this the most opportune time for consolidation of city/county services?
Thank goodness..it's about time. 8:57- You won't be saying it's "wasted money" if you are the target of a crime in Salisbury that could have been prevented with more officers on the road. There needs to be an increase in officers not only to respond to calls in the city but to be proactive in preventing crimes as well! Additionally, how can Salisbury compete with other agencies when their pay is less, they need pay parity to other agencies. The Salisbury officers do a great job out there but they need more manpower!
Terry Cohen and Debbie Campbell had to fight tooth and nail to get the city 4 more officers offered through the stimulus. Three free years of 4 officers. Louise Smith didn't want that. She was trying to prove she is a fiscal conservative (yeah, right!)
Louise Smith wants her landlord buddies to write our crime laws. She has NOTHING for our police, NOTHING about our crime, NOTHING! That woman needs to RESIGN!
As for Ruark, I resent this coming from a man who stet docketed and null processed tons of cases. The judges go by what the state's attorney recommends.
He recommended "nothing, your honor."
Can't wait for Matt Macciarelo to win.
If it is indeed true that the SPD has not increased the number of officers since the 80's...how said it is that they have taken responsibility for the North 13 retail corrider without an increase in manpower. Reading the blotter every day, you see how much time is spent up there on shoplifting cases and traffic issues. This keeps these officers out of the "city" where their presence is needed most. That coupled with the court dispositions which rarely do you see a criminal be punished, makes for the most challenging situation. These circumstances would make it difficult for anyone to have success in fighting crime in Salisbury.
Joe, I will have to disagree, and believe me I'm no fan of Allen Webster, Somerset can deal with that. I heard it from the horses mouth, Webster did ask for additional officers and equipment.
There were some on the force who disagreed with additional officers partly due to no pay raises.
9:05 - Yes lay all the blame on Webster. Are you forgetting Webster requested the hiring of more officers year after year? As far as I am concerned if you want to play the blame game, start with the judges who let the hoodlums return to the streets time and time again.
Let us drop the blame game, Salisbury needs help (yesterday) so stop blaming and quickly get to work on a solution.
lets be honest here most of the shootings/murders is black on black get the naacp to step up to the plate and do something and the black leaders of this community take a stand and reach out to the blacks in this county i bet if whites were shootings blacks something would be done
Joe Ollinger has a better idea -- county police force
what will it COST.....everything.
If crime keeps going up then Salisbury as a whole will slide further down the poverty line resulting in good companies and people leaving the area and the standard of living eroding.
Salisbury needs these officers just to maintain our economic stability. And then we need to worry about building our town back up again.
Amen 9:14 Anon!
It does NO good to have the extra police on the beat if the judges don't give the penalties they should be giving.
Anymore, you have to do something REAL bad to go to jail.
Young people aren't taught a lesson that way!
Ever hear the saying "spare the rod, spoil the child"?
Well, make that apply to the courts. You keep letting people off and they'll just repeat the offense and maybe do something even worse the next time because they know they'll get a slap on the wrist!
Dear 9:49 ,
If I'm the target of a crime , one of us will get shot , I'll see to that , know matter where I am.
97 Sworn officers... Joe can you tell us how many of those 97 sworn officers sit behind a desk? They have one that coordinates the training (a civilian could do that)one that is the quartermaster (a civilian could do that) and I am sure many other sworn officers doing the job for 3x as much as they could pay a civilian to do the same!
If they just took the 97 sworn officers and put them all on the street this alone would help tremendously. I don't think its fair when they say they have 97 swron officers. A good 15 of them sit behind a desk! They need some major restructuring!
I can't get over this! to continue on my above comment about them having 97 sworn officer, a lot of which sit at a desk... They also have their civilians wearing uniforms, very similar to those the officers wear. 1) thats dangerous, 2) thats expensive! Is it more important for the civilians to look "professional" in uniforms than it is to have one or two more officers on the road. Not to mention most of the officers are wearing expired vests! I could go on for hours! They are so wasteful its not even funny!
The officers that do work in Sby have just received furlow days, no pay raises in atleast 2 years, how in the world are they going to attract new officers, even if they could afford to hire 35 more! They come to get their training as babies and leave to go to better paying, more organized and structured agencies!
Some fuzzy math here....
35 Officers at a cost of 100k per year = $3,500,00.00 divided by 94,000 residents of the county comes out to $37.23 per person. How about raising the sales tax in the county by 1%. That would solve the police understaffing problem. The judicial system does need to be stricter. And yes I remember Chief Webster fighting for more officers.
Instead of expanding the City Police Department, the better approach would be to let Mike Lewis take over. The city officers would then be county officers. It just makes more sense. It has been said repeatedly. I guess I will never understand why this hasn't happened yet. The criminals recognize in Salisbury that they are short handed and they are taking advantage of this. It's time Sheriff Lewis took over and get control of the crime in Salisbury. It would be the best approach.
anonymous 11:21, talk about fuzzy math!!!!!
If you raised the sales tax by 1% you'd raise a whole heck of a lot more than $3,500,000.00!!!!! Use your head.
My grandfather told me years ago that they had a whipping post set up in the middle of Salisbury for everyone to see. All the criminals along with their offenses were listed in the paper with a date and time that they were to be whipped. Maybe we need to go back and revisit the old days. I'm sure that once they were whipped in public for all to see our crime rate would go down. Just a thought!!!!
Not only that but a sales tax is regressive and hurts those least able to bear it
Get these lazy cops out of SPD and put new ones in.
I personally think its a great idea! We have got to do something about all of the crime thats taking place around here!!! Our sense of security is gone!! Its pretty bad when I try to squeeze going to the grocery store and getting gas on my lunchbreak for the fear of getting shot or mugged if I were to go after work!!! Cmon Ireton whats it going to take??? how much more blood has to be shed???? I understand it may cost us taxpayers more money....but wont it be worth it in the long run???
tornado just ripped thru newark/newcastle, de
Joe:
How come when they raise the sales tax a couple years ago, the receipts went down?
To 11:25,
I realize you may think the Sheriff can handle all he has plus the city, but Im here to say he cant, they can barely keep up with thier own calls form citizens in the county. I hear sometimes only 3 sheriff's in the entire county! Dont believe me find a police scanner and listen in on a Saturday night....An as a county resident I want my sheriff's out here in the county preventing crimes not in the city responding to crime there.
Taxes may be raised, sales taxes raised BUT would the money be used for the police department or would it be used to give lori chambers a raise
the 4 shootings were a good thing its thugs killing thugs .... hopefully they will just kill each other off ...for each shooting its one bad guy off the street .. and less cost to taxpayers .... if fact the city shouldnt even investigate these shootings if it is a known thug/gang member killed
"In addition, to stem the turnover of sworn police officers I am calling on the Mayor and City Council to provide pay parity to other agencies operating in and around Wicomico County. It is imperative to keep the good, young officers here and to prevent them from being lured to other agencies for higher pay and a lesser work load."
Is there a problem RETAINING officers or HIRING them? The way this is presented, a State official is requesting the City to hire 35 new officers and give raises to 97+35 officers total. A smarter solution would be to dissolve the City police department, merge City police into the County police, and reduce the need for clerical positions which would become redundant with a merger.
Politicians in MD never seem to be able to reduce costs (whether it be through efficiency or process improvement). It's just too easy for them to request more taxpayer funds.
Mmmm , just call in the National Guard , we have the military police here. Then we could have a forced police state , a curfew and a smile on Obama's face.
Better yet , let's form our own militia and get rid of crime for good. I like that idea.
Maryland Defense Force.com.
When the suspects are apprehended and their names released, take the time to look them up on the MD Judiciary Case Lookup. You will find no doubt they are very well known to the system. They are given "slaps on the wrist" time after time and go on to commit more violent crimes each time. It's not only the judges to blame but the prosecutors who agree to the terms the defense attorney put forth.
no tax hikes, just some rearranging. I am telling you a civilian could do these office jobs for a 3rd of what we are paying seasoned officers to do. The sheriffs office has civilians doing most of the same things SPD pays a LT or SGT to do. for a lot less money.
They have to do something to make the position as a SPD officer more attractive. The problem isn't getting guys, its getting men and women who will stay. Too much politics involved at SPD (as I am sure politics plays a big role everywhere, just seems to be really bad at SPD). No one wants to stay where they aren't rewarded and over worked and underpaid, creating the laziness!
Joe:
I would warn all City of Salisbury residents - to sell ASAP and start exiting the City. If anyone has pointed out the severity of the crime rate in the City of Salisbury - it has been you.
Between the Waste Water Treatment plant and crime plagued neighborhoods - there is no good to become of this mess nor is there a short term fix.
In reality - the MD National Guard ought to be called in to augment the City Police force. I have never witnessed so many violent crimes in my entire tenure as a lifelong resident.
Snake Plissken didn't have it this bad in his exodus from NY.
"Mmmm , just call in the National Guard , we have the military police here."
No, this doesn't help in the long term. They were in Salisbury during the Race riots of 1968 (I was in Baltimore). In fact, the President then called the NG to Federal duty which put them under Federal military command. The disturbances were quelled but, as you can see, it did not stop crime.
Delaware may be small but it is much larger than the City of Salisbury and gets along just fine with only State and Local police organizations. You can have more enforcement personnel on the street and less administrative people sitting behind desks with some consolidation of public safety organizations.
Solution...
Hold the local leaders and politicians accountable. Stop the wasteful spending. Stop flushing tax dollars down the toilet. Cut unneeded positions that overlap or can be done by 1 or 2 instead of 10. Adjust outrageous salaries that have ballooned beyond belief. This will get us out of the red and the things our city/county needs. New tax dollars won't even make it to where they are needed, let alone anger an already heated situation.
I really believe its time for the following, #1 a Curfew #2 Retail business's to close no later than midnight. #3 Mandatory jail time for second time offenders. #4 Crimes with deadly weapons mandatory prison with a mininum of ten years. #5 no more than three people loitering.
Welcome to martial law. Isn't nice when the criminals dictate how we have to live.
why should law abiding citizens be subject to curfew? Why should thier businesses be forced to curtail thier hours??
DEAL WITH THE LAWLESS NOT THE LAWFUL!
Annon 2:33 I agree with you, however we have been dealing with the lawless, do you think its working.
Until the city council, the mayor, and the citizens of Salisbury are ready to step up to the plate and acknowledge that if there is ever going to be any improvement in salisbury, they are going to need to pay for it.. instead of complaining about it.. things will never change. I would challenge anyone that thinks different to go for a ride along at night with an SPD officer thru some of these gang infested streets of Salisbury.
You want to talk about the tax dollar aspect of it, its a sad reality that incarcerating every criminal for maximum sentences for what the system considers "minor incidents" costs the taxpayer much more money then letting them go on probation.
2:46....I don't accept your assertion that we HAVE been dealing with the lawless... effectively that is.We obviously haven't.
When we decide that, because of the few who are lawless, we must impose fascist solutions on the entire population then we have lost our founding ideals.We are no longer a free society at that point.
I agree they need more officers but there also needs to be some change in the courts.Most of these thug-of-the-week's doing all the shooting and robbing already HAVE extensive and violent criminal records and alot of them are on probation for other crimes.Anytime they arrest a suspect and you look it up on Md Judiciary he already has a rap sheet a mile long of assaults,theft,etc.
Until ALL police agencies decide to become PROACTIVE instead of REACTIVE crime is going to continue to rise.
I drive in and out of Salisbury almost every day. I can't tell you the last time I saw a Salisbury cop!
Get on the street! Get out of your cars and start walking the beat!
Take law enforcement to what it USED to be and we'd have a whole lot less crime!
Criminals won't do their deeds in areas that they know the cops are!
Hello!?
as far as the courts being the blame.. somewhat! BUT everyone must remember it all comes back to each and every citizan in Salisbury. I hear many times on this blog alone people wonder why the descriptions of these criminals is #1 or #2 in a black hoody, and thats it! Well, if one person witnesses a crime and actually comes forward with the actual description, that alone would help put people away for longer time frames. I agree the courts are not strict enough, and our officers (whether there are 97 or 132, city or county) could do a little more, but when it comes down to it, we are each somewhat responsible. Whether we are business owners, staying open, inviting thugs into our business at all hours of the night. A neighbor, afraid to complain about the criminal activity, a parent who lets their child do what they want, because they fear them or cant be bothered. We all have a responsibility as citizens to step up! It has to start somewhere! So why not in our own homes, and work our way to a better community!
Proactive? How do you suppose they are to do that with the amount of calls our police receive daily? Ok start ignoring the barking dog complaints than the Thefts shoplifters Break in's and the vandalize tearing up property... You bet that the cops would love nothing more than to be able to do the job they signed up for, but being proactive with the limited manpower available its NOT going to happen! Sorry Just keep you doors locked and learn to be a good witness. Or hire more cops.
Good example is Rodney King , they should have killed him , did you know all the facts? Of course you didn't , Poor little criminals , we shouldn't hurt them little babies.
This suggestion is plain stupid, how do you suppose the City will pay for these officers? Good luck getting this through the Council.
I agree with some others. Put the "officers" on the streets during the time periods where crime is highest. (Do a simple time motion survey and put the horsepower where and when it is needed). Put the desks in the trunks of the cars if you want to. (Just Kidding!) As a county resident, I don't want to pay for CITY cops. I don't want a county police force under Mike Lewis either. Judges need to make repeaters do more time...that's true. Pastors,Parents, after school programs, Mentors and Teachers can all do their part to help. It is a systematic problem that calls for a systematic approach. Everyone needs to start doing their part to help bring about a solution. More cops & severe penalties are not the only answer. They are "after the fact reactions" to crime rather than proactive & preventative in nature.
5:33
I say sell all those new fire trucks collecting dust that would be a start. The Council can not afford NOT to hire more police. They need to act fast this place is much worse than Baltimore and is leaning towards South central L.A., Like the old saying goes pay a little now or a lot later. This is not a new sudden crime wave people this is happening every night in Salisbury you don't hear about all of them, Listen to a scanner on a weekend and you can count the calls that come through...... This city is on the verge of chaos keep ignoring it and it will get even worse.
Uh, I guess I am one of the few people that believes in trying to solve the "problem" within budget (or as close as can be accomplished)? New laws, new penalties never solve anything. Enforcement and enforcement within means solves real crime problems. Further, it does not have to be YOUR public safety agency to solve the problem. It only needs to be one that is able.
Consolidate... :^)
Salisbury has been crime infested for years and nothing has ever been done about it. You wonder why the crime is high? Years ago when it was high solutions werent put into effect. This is what happens when idiots are running the show. BUT..... we have a nice new fire department and the best equipment for our crime infested low morale of a town. This truly is a pathetic place to call home.
As long as Salisbury is run by "The Good Old Boys" there will never be enough money for more Police. Pet projects will be first. Like the "Welcome" Center on the North end?? How many Police salaries did that renovation cost?? That sign probably cost as much a s a Police Cruiser. How about the cost of paying some one to work there? Nothing but "Slush" money. We really need that place there, to welcome people to out town right??
This isnt Baltimore. We dont need to keep up with the "Jone's" and have the best of everything. Stop spending on the frills and start spending on the basic needs.
Residents are not "Milk" cows, and you cnat keep draining them for dollars to keep up with the big cities.
if the people in the neighnbor hoods where these crimes are occurring would tell the police the truth when asked if they saw anything and not say i didnt see nothing this would help. you people have to start helping youself
Davis, why did it take you getting beat to have you speak up for the officers of this area?
I have always thought alot of you through the years but lately I have to ask, where have you been....why did it take all that has happened in the last few months to bring you around or at least back to where you used to be?
I believe that all police should make the same money and have the same benefits no matter what agency you work for. We (and I say we because we all would back up each other) do the same job but maybe in a different uniform.
This community needs to work together to take the streets back.. Get involved, help out your law enforcement who get at the front of the line to protect you. Do what you can do to help yourself and our agencies who can't be everywhere at the same time.
Hiring more police officers is a great idea, but how about some discussion on how Salisbury PD is making all officers take unpaid furlough days. That's right, while violent crime is at record levels, our police officers are being forced to take unpaid days off. The mayor, city council, and acting police chief don't discuss it or want the public to know about it, but it is happening NOW. Doesn't it make you feel safe! Move out while you still can.
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