Debbie Campbell

By Sharahn D. Boykin • Staff Writer • November 7, 2008 • http://www.delmarvanow.com

SALISBURY -- With a matter of weeks left before the committee expires, the mayor's Crime Task Force talked about ramping up their efforts and drafting recommendations at their meeting Thursday.

The meeting was the fourth in a series of biweekly meetings that started in late September and are scheduled to run 60 to 90 days. With roughly three weeks left until the 60-day mark, the head of the 14-member panel, Edwin Cowell, told members it was time to start preparations for a draft of recommendations to send to the mayor.

He also announced that he invited Mayor Barrie Tilghman, who has not attended the meetings, to the next session.

Some members of the task force hit the streets and crossed state lines to meet with the Dover Police Department in hopes of modeling some of their strategies used to curb crime.
Debbie Campbell reported that her subgroup met with Jeffrey Horvath, the Dover police chief, last week to discuss strategies used by the department to lower crime rates.

The subcommittee distributed a report which included details about their visit and initiatives that were implemented in Dover that proved to be successful. The subcommittee suggested that information on prostitutes and johns be published in the newspaper and on a Web site.
"We need to create embarrassment," said Carol Smith, a task force member and city resident.

The subcommittee also included suggestions regarding tougher housing laws that take a harder stance on nuisance and drug violators and giving police officers a salary increase.
Campbell suggested that city police include the same level of detail as Dover in some of their statistical crime data.

In addition to modeling some of Dover's more successful strategies, task force members discussed the questions used and how best to distribute a survey on neighborhood crime.
Members of the outreach subgroup talked about the possibility of distributing the survey at the mayor's roundtable meetings and also working with the local chamber of commerce.