More News

Public safety is arguably the most important issue in the city, dominating discussion during the budget and the election season.

How the Frederick Police Department will acquire the resources to continue to protect the city has served as a point of discussion since the department saw significant budget cuts this year.

The city budget, passed in June, left the department with three unfilled civilian positions — which will need to be filled by sworn personnel — and seven sworn positions. The department also took a $71,000 hit to its overtime budget.

City crime increased 4.2 percent in 2008, compared with 2007, according to statistics the department released in March, with a spike primarily in robberies, assaults, burglaries and stolen vehicles.

Since 2002, there has been a sharp decline in the city's crime rate — the number of crimes per 1,000 people — though the city has grown by about 1,000 people a year since then.

By soliciting more than $1 million in grant funding in the past year, the department has supplemented its budget, hired a crime analyst and community prosecutor, and obtained technological resources to fight crime, the department reported.

And no matter what, Frederick Police Chief Kim C. Dine maintains that the department will continue to make do with what they have.

But what they need is a different story.

According to the department's 2009-2014 Strategic Plan, the department projects that in the next five years, the population would grow by about 5,000 people and boost calls for service by 11 percent.

The police force, which is at its sworn strength of 145, would need to grow by about two officers a year through 2013 to keep up with that growth.

The strategic plan also outlines other predictions that need preparing for. Some of the key points, labeled "key assumptions" in the plan, read as follows:

Certain violent crimes, "despite best efforts and contrary to repeated reductions, may raise consistent with increases in population."

The plan also reads that "budget restraints will affect personnel growth; those needs will continue to increase for both sworn and civilian positions."

And lastly, "The Department will continue to face a space shortage in terms of both work space for officers and employees, and storage for evidence and property."

Email Erica L. Green at egreen@gazette.net.

Through Sept. 3, The Gazette will provide a series of stories and candidate forums to serve as a voter's guide leading up to the city's primary election on Sept. 15.

Each week the 2009 City of Frederick election candidates will be invited to sound off on a specific topic and question.

The mayoral candidate responses will be published in the paper, and aldermanic candidate responses will be published online on The Gazette's City of Frederick election page.

Readers can access this page at www.gazette.net/frederickelection2009 for all City of Frederick election coverage.

The city's primary election will be held on Sept. 15. The general election is Nov. 3.

In the next-to-last installment of The Gazette's election series, mayoral and aldermanic candidates were asked to outline, in 100 words or less, their priorities for addressing public safety in the city. Five mayoral and 17 aldermen candidates responded. Aldermanic candidate responses to this week's question can be found at http://www.gazette.net/frederickelection2009.

Question: What are your priorities in addressing public safety in the city?

Jennifer Dougherty
Served as Frederick's first female mayor from 2002 to 2006. She lost a re-election bid in 2005. A downtown business owner for 20 years, Dougherty now works as a Realtor in Frederick. She is 48 years old.

1.  Keep the Chief of Police - He is a respected leader and is committed to Community Policing. 

2.  Keep the Department well-staffed. well-trained, and motivated — Officers need adequate numbers to patrol our streets, investigate crimes and create relationships that help fight crime- this includes presence at the NAC meetings.

3.  Coordinate local, regional and national training and response for emergencies including H1N1 virus.

4.  Involve the community in fighting crime including the growing gang presence through enhanced Community Watch Programs, GREAT, "Gang Unit."

5.  Introduce City Hall at the Mall for immediate police presence on the West End.

Jason Judd
A first-time City Hall candidate, comes from a background of labor- and community organizing. A trained economist, he works in Washington, D.C. as a campaign director for the Service Employees International Union. He is 37 years old.

Keeping the city safe is government's first job.

I've ridden along with our police, been through the department's citizen course, and organized house meetings about crime. I support Chief Dine's emphasis on community policing, and want to intensify it in our older neighborhoods with higher crime. Unsafe streets are unacceptable.

Prevention matters, too. I want us to invest more in summer and after-school programs for older kids. And we need to support an Education Partnership — our website has the details: http://juddformayor.com. I fought for and won investments like these as a community organizer, and know they can transform lives.

Chris Simpson
A newcomer to city politics, is a native of Frederick and owns a liquor store on the city's West Side. He is 40 years old.

Cops on the streets

Make existing programs known to residents.

A new program for people doing community service hours.

Going door to door handing out fliers about the programs.

Randy McClement
Owner of Market Street Bagel and Deli in downtown Frederick. He ran unsuccessfully for alderman four years ago, and sits on numerous boards in Frederick. He is president of the Tourism Council of Frederick County. He is 52 years old.

I believe that the #1 responsibility of City government is Public Safety. It is the #1 item on my platform.

Our police department must work at the highest level of efficiency possible. To do this, they need the proper tools and a headquarters larger than a bread box. As Mayor, I will take steps to get our police department a new headquarters.

Public safety is more than just arresting people. Community policing and being pro-active in the community are key. I will seek State and Federal Grants to help keep our police force at their highest level of efficiency.

Ron Tobin
Serves as executive assistant for Mayor W. Jeff Holtzinger (R), where he has overseen city infrastructure projects. He is 68 years old.

Utilizing monitoring technology allows the police to be more proactive and visible in addressing criminal activities. Surveillance monitoring has demonstrated success in other jurisdictions and our own City parking garages. Working with Fort Detrick and the County Emergency Management Team, I would move forward with a study and installation of a City wide alert system for severe weather conditions or other emergencies. We need to work with other law enforcement partners addressing gang and narcotic problems which have no jurisdictional boundaries. Partnering with other law enforcement agencies is important to eliminate duplication of efforts allowing the City to reduce costs.

Clint Hoffman
Owner of Discount Towing in Frederick. This is his first political bid. Failed to respond for this story. He is 46 years old.