City of Salisbury Receives Third Safe Streets Grant

Mayor Ireton proudly announces that effective July 1, 2012, Salisbury Safe Streets will receive $298,265 from the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention for the period July 1, 1012 to June 30, 2013. Prior to receiving this amount, the City had received $716,144.40. The O'Malley/Brown administrations total commitment to the Salisbury Safe Streets program has been $1,014,409 over the past 2 ½ years. The city’s violent crime (Part 1) rate has decreased 42% inside the city limits and has decreased 37% in the Safe Streets area. Property crimes have decreased 27% over the 2009-2011 period.

Also being a recipient of this award has allowed the Wicomico County State’s Attorney’s Office to continue its designation of a prosecutor solely focused on the SAFE STREETS COALITION. The high number of crimes occurring within the Safe Streets area requires the complete attention of a prosecutor entirely devoted to this singular mission. Our prosecution efforts this year have focused on crimes of violence, guns, and controlled dangerous substance offenses.

The Grant’s Funding for the past year produced the following results:
1. Sixty Five (65) of Salisbury’s worst offenders were brought to trial as Safe Streets Top Offenders in just the last year.
2. Fifty (50) of these cases resulted in convictions. That is a 77% conviction rate for our worst offenders resulting in over 150 years of active prison time.
3. Twenty four (24) cases were referred for federal prosecution in the United States District Court to face enhanced federal sentencing.
4. Law Enforcement agencies have combined and cooperated to form a universal front against crime in Wicomico County called the Safe Streets Initiative.

“This is a spectacular accomplishment for our city. To be funded again this year by GOCCP, and have had a total commitment of 781K over the past 2 ½ years makes it clear that the state recognizes the efforts of our Safe Streets Coalition and the officers that serve in Salisbury. There is not enough “Thank You’s!” that I can give to all our partners. Locally, my gratitude to our State’s Attorney, our Sherriff, the State Police, The Warrant Task Force, our Chief Duncan and Colonel Barkley, Neighborhood Services, Maryland Department of Corrections…and many more. Salisbury is a safer place to live than it was 3 years ago, and every day we step back out to do the hard work continuing that decline,” said Mayor James Ireton, Jr.

“Governor O’Malley’s Safe Streets initiative is more than a concept. Safe Streets is a proven and strategic crime reduction process which gives law enforcement the tools to reduce crime through collaborative partnerships geared focused on stabilizing our neighborhoods, business districts, and other areas within the safe Streets zone.

Since the award of Safe Streets funding and implementation of its strategic concepts, Salisbury has been identified by the Governor’s Office of Crime Control & prevention as a benchmark for others initiatives across the state.

Our crime rate is directly tethered to our revitalization efforts and with the continued funding from the Governor’s Office; law enforcement will continue to advance the quality of life for our citizens,” said Salisbury Police Chief Barbara Duncan.