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Wednesday, July 15, 2009

WOMEN ARRESTED FOR BURNING FLAG ON JULY 4th WEEKEND

On Sunday, July 5, 2009, at approximately 6:05 a.m., two Ocean City Police Officers had recently completed their shift and were heading home when they witnessed a woman igniting an American flag with a cigarette lighter. As the officers approached the woman, who was later identified as Rebecca Ellen McKimmie, 18, of Ocean City, Maryland, they saw her stand between two lanes of traffic leading to the Rt. 50 Bridge and continue to light the flag until it was actively burning.

McKimmie, who then began to stomp on the American Flag, caused several cars to
swerve their vehicles in order not to strike her. When officers asked McKimmie why she was burning the American Flag the day after the celebration of the United States of Americans Independence Day, she told them that she was “making a statement.”

Police arrested McKimmie and charged her with Desecrating a Flag and Disturbing
the Peace. McKimmie was seen by a District Court Commissioner and released on her
own personal recognizance.

CELEBRATE DOWNTOWN SALISBURY!

CITY HOLDS “3RD FRIDAY” EVENT

Salisbury Mayor James Ireton, Jr., invites the public to downtown Salisbury this Friday, July 17th, to join in and support the first “3rd Friday” celebration, beginning at 5:00pm.

Everyone can eat, drink, shop, and enjoy art and entertainment. Many of the downtown businesses will be participating. Take advantage of food and drink specials, discounts, and live music. The Art Institute and Gallery will feature special art exhibits. Parker Place will host Clay-ala-palooza, by the Clay Guild of the Eastern Shore. They will have pottery demonstrations and “make and take” for the kids.

This event, sponsored by Urban Salisbury and the Arts and Entertainment Steering Committee, is part of the Renaissance of Downtown Salisbury.

Mayor Ireton says, “See you downtown Friday night!”

OC AMBER ALERT TEXT - HOAX

If you get a text with the following message, DON'T SEND IT:

"Amber alert 4 yr old girl from oc taken by a man driving a new silver truck nj plate 72B381. Keep it going so they can find her"

It's a hoax according to OCPD. I have, however, been told by 2 separate sources that it happened in OC, New Jersey. Anyone else know anything about it?

Wicomico County Sheriff's Office Press Release


Location: Wicomico County

Narrative: It has been brought to the attention of the Wicomico County Sheriff’s that there are door-to-door solicitors which may be misrepresenting themselves as employees of a local alarm company. Please contact our office in the event that you are contacted by one of these individuals. Politely decline their service and obtain any identifying information such as physical description, vehicle description, etc.

Here are a few issues that people have been dealing with in other areas of Maryland:
Customers have a problem getting proper attention. Because many of the accounts are sold repeatedly, customers can get shuffled around from marketing company, to provider, to monitoring company.

Many companies and individuals have not met the Maryland requirement that each company, salesperson and technician be licensed by the Department of State Police.
Others also fail to comply with local alarm licensing requirements, or to obtain a local license for door to door sales.

Many falsely claim to represent different alarm companies.

Others claim to represent the customer’s existing alarm company, and falsely tell the customer that they need an upgrade. After the customer signs, they become obligated to two companies for the same services.

Still others claim to offer a “free” system when in reality customers are committing to an extended contract that has a built in fee for the equipment.

Two Sentz No Longer With Salisbury News

"I am going to stop posting for a while. Nothing personal at all. My little "rampage" yesterday was to just stir up some comments and go out with a bang."

Going out with a BANG without letting us know ahead of time was abusive, (IMO) as I had just had it out with Sentz a week earlier for his rants. In fact, I had removed him as a Contributor but he apologized and we reinstated him with a clear understanding this wouldn't happen again.

I do not have time to play games as I opened the door for the "other side" to reach a much larger audience here on Salisbury News, as long as it was civil. In the past week this was not respected and to create Posts just to go out with a BANG once again broke my trust once again in him.

That being said, we are parting our ways civilly and respectfully.

This just in from Sentz:

"Dear Readers,

I have decided to bring my time here to an end. This will please many of you. It might also upset a few. I want to thank Joe for his hospitality and the opportunity. It has been a real pleasure as well as very eye opening experience. I wish you all the very best of luck in all that you do.

Two Sentz"

Salisbury Mayor to Hold Press Conference On July 17th On Grant Award


2010 Collaborative Supervision and Focused Enforcement (CSAFE) – Violence Prevention Initiative Grant Awarded to the City of Salisbury

Salisbury Mayor James Ireton, Jr. is pleased to announce that the City’s grant application for 2010 for the Church Street CSAFE-VPI initiative has been approved by the Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention (GOCCP). The CSAFE program provides local jurisdictions additional resources to support the salaries for a Community Prosecutor and a Crime Data Analyst, and overtime for police, to target additional resources in the crime reduction effort.
The City of Salisbury’s CSAFE Program is a collaborative team concept administered by the City of Salisbury. The Community Prosecutor and Crime Analyst will serve both the Westside and Church Street CSAFE areas. The CSAFE program is an ongoing effort by the State to assist counties and municipalities in addressing problem issues in targeted high-crime neighborhoods.

The GOCCP has awarded CSAFE grant funds to the City for the Church Street area for the following projects:

Community Prosecutor / State’s Attorney’s Office…………………………..….$65,000

Crime Data Analyst / Salisbury Police Department……………………………..$35,406

School Resource Officer / Wicomico Middle School / Sheriff’s Dept…...….…. $10,039

Community Policing / Salisbury Police Department…………………….………$15,419

CSAFE Program Coordinator – Lead Coordinator / Mayor’s Office ...…………$21,845

Total Funds Awarded ……………………. $147,709

Mayor Ireton will be hosting a press conference on Friday, July 17, 2009, at 10:00 a.m., at 501 E. Church Street, in the parking lot of the Neighborhood Services and Code Compliance Department, to talk about the CSAFE program and other crime reduction initiatives underway.
For more information about the CSAFE-VPI program, please contact Loré L. Chambers, Assistant City Administrator, at 410-548-3100.

The Tawes Festival Is Today






For the past several years I have attended this event and have always had a blast. I will be taking most of the day off the Blog to enjoy fellowship with friends and associates and returning with a full belly filled with Eastern Shore Delights.

If you've never attended, (while always hot) it's a great day, you should try it. I'll return this evening to catch up on what's been going on locally but today my time will be spent in Crisfield supporting the local eastern shore economy. Hope to see you there!

Signatiures Hair Designs



Every so often I like to throw out a plug for friends of mine and or small businesses that are just starting out and could use a boost or reminder. Eric does a fantastic job cutting hair and deserves to be recognized for his $12.00 Haircuts.

Located on Mt. Hermon Road, 1112 Mt. Hermon Road, (to be exact) his shop is convenient to just about anyone. He's open every day with the exception of Sunday's. I believe he said his hours were something like 9-6 Monday through Friday and 12:00 to 3:00 PM on Saturday's.

Stop in and give him a shot for your next haircut.

Hyperbole, Hypocrisy and Leftist Race Baiting

Monday was an interesting day; I learned a lot. If you ask a question, you’re making an assertion. If you make a statement but are later found out to be ridiculous, you get to palm it off on someone else. AND … If all else fails, you can always resort to calling your opponents “racist”.

This is how to try winning an argument if you are from the left.

My day started off by posing a question – Can the Sotomayor nomination be blocked? The conventional wisdom is that it can’t. I posed the question because of a seldom used Senate rule that I found out about. None the less, I posed a question. While any regular reader would know that I don’t agree with Judge Sotomayor’s judicial philosophy, I don’t really agree with Chief Justice Robert’s either (IMO he is a right wing version of an activist judge).

Lo and behold, I’m made aware of a post over at my old friend TwoSentz’s blog:

On his site, Delmarva Dealings, G.A. Harrison postulates how great it would be to block the most qualified nominee to the Supreme Court that we have seen in the last 100 years. The reason? Politics as usual. Does this really surprise anyone?

What G.A. doesn't understand is that he is continuing to move to the extreme right where the hardliner, fringe elements of his party loiter. Fortunately, the GOP Senators on the judiciary committee do not suffer from ideological narrow-mindedness the way Mr. Harrison does. We will see strong bi-partisan support for her nomination, if we haven't already.

Typically, I would argue that any fool has a right to his or her opinion no matter how ill informed. The problem is that I never considered TwoSentz to be a fool. Admittedly, I was a tad perturbed by Two’s claim that Sotomayor is “the most qualified nominee to the Supreme Court that we have seen in the last 100 years.” Is she qualified? Yes. Will she faithfully interpret the constitution? Probably not. In any event, she certainly isn’t “the most qualified…”. She isn’t even the “the most qualified left-wing nominee.

Best Tool Ever Designed For Women

Caption This Photo


The War Against The Producers

by Victor Davis Hanson
Pajamas Media


Stimulus, Stimulus and Not a Drop…

A “stimulus” of nearly a trillion dollars was proposed, without which we were told, unemployment would skyrocket and credit would tighten further. Six months later — unemployment having risen even higher than the administration’s forecast would have been the case had their stimulus package not been implemented — now the same proponents of massive borrowing demand a second stimulus to accomplish what the first ’successful’ borrowing apparently did not. If you fail, then try the same thing to fail even bigger the second time — while calling for more success to follow the earlier success?

The Larger Agenda

Note here I mean something quite different from the accustomed notion of “accomplish.” You see, I think the point was never much to build more bike paths on borrowed money or just bail out GM, but rather more to reengineer the tax code, as part of a grander vision of creating a new equality of result in America.

Soon we will all end up after each April 15 about making the same, driving the same sort of cars and using the same sort of mass transit, living in about the same sorts of houses, and having about the same sorts of “”they will take care of it for me” philosophies — all overseen by brilliant, but highly ranked and exempt Platonic Guardians who suffer on our behalf as they jet and limo at breakneck speed ensuring our welfare.

Gorging “the Beast”

We are beginning to sense the debate is not about “stimulus” (politicians did not even read the various bills that they rammed through and care little about the fiscal impact from them). Rather, we are witnessing an inversion of Reagan’s sort of playing chicken, once called “starve the beast” (which I thought was a wrong notion), a philosophy of cutting taxes to cut revenue to starve the federal government’s excessive spending in the face of spiraling deficits.

Under Obama’s “gorge the beast” version, America will simply write so many bounced checks, run up such an enormous $10 trillion debt, that taxes will have to rise on “them” — and wasn’t this really the point of it all anyway: to “spread the wealth around” and “never let a crisis go to waste”? Since new programs never shrink, but, like Johnson grass, grow with impunity, and since Democrats, even more so than wasteful Republicans, don’t worry about deficits, taxes must escalate to avoid catastrophe.

The Bad Guys

Ponder a simple fact: The Obama administration is dispersing income lavishly to those who do not pay taxes and it will have to be paid for by those who do. For all the talk of that awful percentile who make over $200,000, this administration has not distinguished the hyper-rich 1% that make untold money (e.g., the Buffets, Soroses, Turners, Gateses, Kerrys, Gores, etc.), from the much more demonized, larger 5% of the population whose income does not come from investments and insider influence and deal-making, but rather from providing more tangible goods and services — the family doctor, the plumbing contractor, the small lumber company owner, the car dealer, the local family-held insurance company, the airline pilot, the car-leasing firm, the patent attorney, etc.

“Their Fair Share”

Last fall we heard that this percentile was unpatriotic, did not wish to spread the wealth around, and had made off like bandits under Bush. But the fact is, to quote Mayor Gavin Newsome’s ‘like it or not’, they are precisely those who decide most dynamically whether to hire, fire, expand, contract, buy/sell goods, etc.

And the results of the Obama war against them are threefold: 1) in major key states, the productive minority’s state income taxes will near or exceed 10%; their federal rates will go to 40%; the abolition of caps on FICA will ensure 15% plus of most their income will go for new Medicare and Social Security bites; and they may well be eligible for a newly proposed punitive health-care surcharge tax of 4-6%.

Add It Up

1) If one were to add all that up (forget rises in sales taxes, inheritance taxes, luxury taxes, etc.), then one can get to 70% of one’s income. So right this minute, the electrical contractor is thinking:

‘I made $412,000 last year due to Saturday jobs, overtime, risky bidding, gambles on new equipment, and new lines of credit, but under Obama I will pay maybe $50-80,000 more of my income to the government. In other words the cost of, say, hiring two more entry-level electricians, or the cost of outfitting an entire new van with boom and equipment, or what I cleared every Saturday last year — all that will go to the government.”

Ripples of Doubt

And that means rippling throughout this key sector of the economy — even before these taxes have been enacted — are hesitation, stasis, and ultimately constriction — at first for psychological reasons, soon confirmed by the actual facts of less money. In short, very bright people will be thinking how to hide income, how to barter, how to slow down and not produce goods and services, rather than blast full speed ahead and enrich angry others.

A Certain Paranoia

2) Do not discount again the psychological element. This putative electrical contractor also knows that after handing over his profits to the new government, and delaying or ending his plans for enlargement, he will not be praised, but continually demonized (I scanned CNN, MSNBC, CBS, and NBC the other evening, and all the stories had a common theme: the “rich” (yes, you see, ACME Electric is now about the equivalent to AIG and Citibank) will have to pay their “fair share” for all sorts of “overdue” necessities: cap-and-trade, nationalized health care, education grants and freebies, and new social programs.

You Owe Us

So our electrician senses that despite his newfound, sizable contribution to the public good, he will a) not be thanked but only further ridiculed; b) see his money diverted from his own wise use of it, to anonymous agencies’ liberal expenditures of it: the money will not be just lost, but invested in things that will make things worse, not better, through subsidies of failed programs and the destruction of incentives; c) see that the world under Obama is now unfair in Orwellian fashion: the Citibanks and AIGs, in Robert Rubin fashion, are so well connected to both parties that they will suffer little for their mistakes; the Ivy-League and Washington technocratic class that is to run all this is happy with its government perks and does not think new taxes and compliance apply to themselves (cf. Dodd, Rangel, Geithner, Daschle, Murtha, etc.).

You Never Needed All That Anyway

3) Finally the now chastised and ossified electrician will begin to see that his new truck, his boat, his vacation home, all these are somehow immoral in carbon, political, cultural, racial, and social terms. And he senses that others, who do not pay any income taxes (approaching 50% of the population), see themselves at war with him: the more he pays in taxes, the more others see that his compliance with such new burdens is proof of what he “really” owed all the time, and a sign that he can pay even more next round.

A Most Revolutionary Vision

Final observations: Obama brilliantly conflated the Wall Street class with the upper-tier of Main Street in Animal Farm fashion: the former gets lectured, but stays enriched through bailouts; the latter takes both the moral hit for the former’s crimes and greed and the actual hit in higher taxes.

(Nota Bene: the new Democrats, in Prince Charles fashion, like the taste and culture of the hyper-rich, who care little about taxes, are sensitive behind their ramparts to the less well off, and know high-culture (think Streisand, Gates, Soros, the Georgetown/Hollwood/Silicon Valley, Upper East Side, Cambridge, Mass, set). These aristoi despise the wheeler-dealer, always on the move, uppity, wanna-get-rich scrambler that is desperately trying to get his kid through Public University, and add a wing on his gross MacMansion, while towing his outboard up to the lake for five hours of water-skiing, without an opera, symphony, or NPR analysis on the radio).

Bottom Line

This recovery cannot work, other than a brief spurt that results from trillions in printed money, because we are rewarding unproductive areas of the economy (federal money for more wind farms, federal hurdles for pumping more known natural gas or nuclear power construction; more of the community-organizing model, less of the productive small business model) and punishing the engines of the economy.

The New Culture of “Pay Up, Mister–or Else!”

For Obama to pull this off, an entire sort of new vocabulary, rhetoric, and attitude is necessary. And the model is California: the carpenter and the bricklayer are laid off, and the state snoozes; while the assistant solid waste inspector of Green Acres is on television every night (his union can afford the advertising) to weep, and claim that if he and those like him (retire at 55 with $100,000 for life) are laid off, then Dantesque things follow.

Remember the logic: the poor Californian voter who works at Starbucks or Target is angry that the grandee social worker is unnecessary and grossly overpaid at $90,000 a year, with lush retirement and benefits, and so is told that if he does not raise taxes to over 10% income and 9% sales, then firemen, police, and water workers will quit/be laid off/furlow and so he will starve, be murdered, and have no sewage.

Screw the Fool Hammering, Save the Grandee Behind the Desk — and Call it Egalitarian Morality

That is the model here in California and that is the model we are soon to see in Washington: the government worker and those who receive his largess, are kings; those who pay for them, and who work in private enterprise for far less, are, well, less than fools.

Whereas thousands are fleeing the natural paradise of California for the arid deserts of no-tax Nevada, there is no Nevada to the United States — the last hope of an otherwise depressing planet.

TRAFFIC ALERT


Rehoboth Avenue Extended & Church Street Signal ActivatedTraffic Camera Installation this Week

Rehoboth -- The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) will be activating a new traffic signal at the intersection of Rehoboth Avenue Extended/Route 1A and Church Street in Rehoboth. The signal will be converted to full stop and go operation at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, July 15.

As part of this signal work, a new traffic monitoring camera will also be installed on Thursday, July 16 between the hours of 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. To decrease the impact on commuter traffic on Rehoboth Avenue, all work will occur during these hours.

The contractor for this project is Kriss Contracting, Inc., and DelDOT's Traffic Signal Construction Section.

Just Another Day At The Albero Ranch







Majoritiy of Americans Oppose Sotomayor

In a recent Rasmussen poll, only 38% of Americans believe that this “wise Latina” should be confirmed to serve on our nation’s highest court.  Justice Clarence Thomas (who the left loves to attack at every turn) had the support of a majority of Americans during his confirmation process.

Fortunately, the left understands that we are all stupid and will save us from our own ignorance.  She is, after all, “the most qualified nominee in the last 100 years.”  In this way, we may be treated to years of Justice Sotomayor crafting new law without ever going to the bother of running for a legislative office.

cross posted at Delmarva Dealings

Snow Hill Rd Exit Off Bypass


Joe,

I travel north on the bypass daily and take the exit for Rt. 12 Snow Hill Rd. To travel east on Snow Hill Rd you must cross the west-bound lane to an opening in the median. The design of the intersection makes it hard for people to see east-bound oncoming cars when sitting in the median. It becomes even more difficult when the grass on the median is as high as it has been. The grass is approximately 12-18" tall. I attached a poor cell phone picture. Do you think there is anything I can do or anyone I can speak to about this intersection? Thanks

Unemployment Meter


What's Wrong With This Picture?

I encourage you to click on this image to enlarge it and then study it for a while and tell us what you see wrong with this photo. There are actually two things wrong with this picture. Let's see how long it takes for everyone to figure it out.

I Sure Do Miss This Man


Wine

To my friends who enjoy a glass of wine...and those who don't. As Ben Franklin said:

In wine there is wisdom,
in beer there is freedom,
in water there is bacteria.

In a number of carefully controlled trials,
scientists have demonstrated that if we drink 1 liter of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than

1 kilo of Escherichia coli,

(E. coli) - bacteria found in feces.

In other words, we are consuming1 kilo of poop.

However, we do NOT run that risk when
drinking wine & beer (or tequila, rum, whisky or other liquor), because alcohol has to go through a purification
process of boiling, filtering and/or fermenting.

Remember:

Water = Poop Wine = Health

Therefore, it's better to drink wine and talk stupid,
than to drink water and be full of poop.

There is no need to thank me for this valuable information: I'm doing it as a public service.

Don’t File An Ethics Complaint in Cecil County

Here in Wicomico County, we’ve seen our share of frivolous ethics complaints lately.  That said, they are part of the price you pay in an attempt to receive good local government.  It appears that the people who govern Cecil County aren’t too interested in that.  Perhaps that is why they attempt to intimidate those who file ethics complaints.

Del. Mike Smigiel notes Cecil County now has a provision in their ethics complaint process which prohibits complainants from discussing the matter with ANYONE.  If they do, they are subject to a $5,000 fine and up to a year in jail.

In reality, this is much ado about nothing.  State law prohibits the county from doing this.  Therefore, its unenforceable.  However, how many people filing ethics complaints are lawyers and / or know that.  Since the “Penalties” are clearly stated on the complaint form, how many people have been intimidated from filing a complaint – frivolous or no?

This sounds like something out of the Barrie Comegys school of governance.

cross posted at Delmarva Dealings

Change No One Should Believe In

Snakes Alive Is Coming To Pemberton Historical Park

(Salisbury, MD) Join other outdoor enthusiasts on Saturday, July 25 from 11:00am to 12:30pm for a special program, Snakes Alive. This program is open to all ages and is $3 per person. Friends of Pemberton receive free admission.

Pemberton Park Naturalists will bring you face to face with several of Wicomico County’s local reptilian creatures. The county is home to a wide variety of wild life, and our snake population includes the northern water snake, the black rate snake and copperheads, some of which may make an appearance during Snakes Alive.

Pemberton Historical Park is located at 5561 Plantation Lane in Salisbury, MD. For more information, please contact Pemberton Park at 410-860-2447 or email pembertonpark@wicomicocounty.org.

Bike Stolen in Delmar - REWARD

Accident On Civic Ave & Business Rt. 50


This was the scene yesterday afternoon on Civic Ave. & Business Rt. 50. For what it's worth, I look at this photo and think, now how could a head on collision like this happen? Look at the picture again and notice how both vehicles are truly face to face. Perhaps this is just how they ended up but ONE of the two drivers had to see what was coming. Oh well, it is what it is. It didn't appear like there were any serious injuries but I was just driving by and snapped the photo. Maybe someone can update us on the outcome. No disrespect to the Fire Department but what the heck are they doing using a Ladder Truck for an accident scene?

Information Obtained From The Crime Task Force Meeting Yesterday


In April of 2008, Mayor Ellen O. Moyer appointed a new Police Chief to bring the rising crime problem in Annapolis back under control. At the same time, with the support of the Governor’s office and top political officials, the Capital City Safe Streets Coalition (CCSS) was formed. This innovative approach brought together federal, state, and local public safety agencies to collaborate and strategize on crime reduction in Annapolis. Through a combination of improved police tactics and practices, modern and enhanced technology, and the integration of our expanded partnerships, Annapolis benefited from a remarkable reduction in serious crime since the inception of CCSS. The chart below reflects a 417% decrease in total crime, and almost a 3663% reduction in violent crime over the past 12 months compared to the same prior period.

Offense May 1-Apr 30 2007-2008
Apr-Mar 2007-2008 May 1-Apr 30 2008-2009
Apr-Mar 2008-2009
HomicideHomicide 1011 44 -60.00%-175.00%
Forcible Rape Forcible Rape 78 87 14.29%-14.29%
RobberyRobbery 177183 102106 -42.37%-72.64%
Assault, Aggravated 204218 141140 -30.88%-55.71%
Burglary 435449 116232 -73.33%-93.53%
TheftTheft 757707 517569 -31.70%-24.25%
Theft from Auto Theft from Auto 584574 394423 -32.53%-35.70%
Stolen Auto Motor Vehicle 191193 111114 -41.88%-69.30%
Part One Violent Part One Violent 398420 255257 -35.93%-63.42%
Part One Property Part One Property 19671923 11381338 -42.15%-43.72%
Total 23652342 13931594 -41.10%-46.93%

In conjunction with Capital City Safe Streets, the Annapolis Police Department has improved its capacity to reduce crime. Working closely with the Division of Parole and Probation (P&P), repeat, violent offenders are being removed from the community. Arrest notification is immediately initiated to P&P; probation violation warrants are requested, issued, and served without unnecessary delay. The Community Prosecutor – funded in part by the CCSS grant – has on numerous occasions successfully prosecuted repeat and violent offenders leading to their incarceration. To date, more than 25 Violent Prevention Initiative offenders (VPI) have been violated and incarcerated. A similar procedure is in place with the Department of Juvenile Justice for violent juvenile offenders

Other accomplishments include coordinated warrant service successful warrant initiatives with the AA County Sheriffs Office. Annapolis Police served 22% more warrants in this time period compared to the prior year. and undercover narcotics investigations with AA County Police Department. Comparing the same 12 month period, Annapolis Police served 15% more warrants. Illustrating outstanding cooperation with the AA County Police, detectives from both agencies joined forces for three months this year investigating illegal narcotic operations in the City of Annapolis. cooperated in a drug investigation resulting in Detectives made 75 undercover “drug buys” of illegal narcotics from Annapolis Drug dealers. This resulting ed so far in 48 felony drug charges and indictments. 41 felony drug charges, mostly by way of indictment. Earlier in the year, joint initiatives with the Maryland State Police Gang and Narcotic Units joined Annapolis Police and, together, made resulted in over fifty arrests. Anything about DGS???

Selected serious felony cases are now being forwarded to the US Attrorney’s Office for review. Working with our federal partners, the criminals of Annapolis are subject to longer mandatory sentences far away from home. To date, there has been one successful plea deal and other cases are pending trial. In addition to case prosecution, federal law enforcement remains committed to maintaining open lines of communication with state and local agencies, including the State's Attorney's Office, to support the Annapolis community's fight against crime and violence.

Our community outreach has dramatically accelerated. One effective approach is the recent implementation of our Community Safe Zones, a holistic approach to fighting crime and providing comfort to the community through greater police visibility. The APD has also improved the website including “CrimeReports.com.” Citizens now have greater police outreach and more information about crimes affecting their neighborhoods.can search crime in their neighborhoods within a six month time frame. CrimeReports updates on a regular basis so the information is timely and accurate.Say something about Mapping, real-time crime data,,,,,
We share open lines of communication with the US Attorney’s Office, something else, and something else ??? ????. (If you can think of something… I’m tired now)

Future plans include yet more joint-agency initiatives, Safe Zones, CCTV in and around low income housing communities, updated technology including rugged laptops, field for officers, -based reporting, E Citations, Mobile Fingerprinting,, and a publicn interactive crime- mapping- website. The Annapolis Police Department The administration with the is capitalizing on new technology, resources and resources and partnerships along with effective enforcement strategies of Capital City Safe Streets is working towards in modernizing the Annapolis Police Department with state of the art technology and proven enforcement strategies. (say something about other things we’re getting… not audio visual)..

A marked decrease in jor impact on overall and violent crime was seen following the reorganization of the Police Department which touched every police divisions, sections and units. This enabled us to renew , and the Police Department’s renewed our focus on crime prevention and core law , enforcement duties, and quality of life in neighborhoods. Simply, tThe Department’s resources were harnessed harnessed and shifted to communities disproportionately affected by drug activity and other crime. The Police Chief Michael Pristoop reinitiatedcreated proactive enforcement squads staffed by comprised of officers willing and able to make a difference in the community. The Police Department improved its partnership with the Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis (HACA) resulting in greater command and control of officers patrolling HACA property and conducting enforcement. ing the law. This presence helped deter crime awhile HACA officials pursued evictions and banning of notices for those arrested on onHACA property and around the property. The below chart depictsisplays the a dramatic decrease in total Pserious art 1 crime (Part 1) in on HACA communities: property (Can you get a better graph or just something with numbers??) Does this work?

HACA Property May 1-Apr 30 2007-2008Apr-Mar 2007-2008 May 1-Apr 30 2008-2009Apr-Mar 2008-2009 Total Annapolis GGardens/ Bowman Ct. 2931 2122 -27.59%-40.91% Bloomsbury Square 88 12 -87.50%-300.00% College Creek Terr. & Obery Court 1619 66 -62.50%-216.67% Eastport Terr. 88 75 -12.50%-60.00% Glenwood 1110 67 -45.45%-42.86% Harbor House 4946 1926 -61.22%-76.92% Newtowne 20 1011 1010 0.00%-10.00% Robinwood 2830 1413 -50.00%-130.77% Total 159163 8491 -47.17%-79.12%

The below chart demonstrates enforcement over the past 12 months: We are not doing this right?

(Can you add an enforcement chart… showing arrests, trespassing, etc)

The efforts of the Annapolis Police Department, new police administration, along with with the help of the CCSS initiative and outstanding community support,, have made the City of Annapolis a safer place to live, work, and visit. This, however, is only the beginning. To date in 2009, Part 1 crime is down 54%. This, however, is only the beginning. We will continue to provide the commitment and energy needed to sustain and improve our progress. , and further seek improvements in technology. We expect the cooperation and communication embodying between and among our the CCSS partnership will to continue and grow. Most important, reover, the dedicated men and women of the Annapolis Police Department stand ready for all challenges with the tools and leadership needed to succeed.

Fresh Local Produce


If you're looking for a place to pick up fresh produce, stop in at the Produce Stand on Naylor Mill Road and Jersey Road. They have a fantastic selection of produce and great prices to boot.

A Soldier's Take On Michael Jackson's Death

This is written by a young soldier serving his third tour of duty in Iraq . Thought you might find his take on the Michael Jackson news interesting and he's right.

Okay, I need to rant.

I was just watching the news, and I caught part of a report on Michael Jackson. As we all know, Jackson died the other day. He was an entertainer who performed for decades. He made millions, he spent millions, and he did a lot of things that make him a villain to many people. I understand that his death would affect a lot of people, and I respect those people who mourn his death, but that isn't the point of my rant.

Why is it that when ONE man dies, the whole of America loses their minds with grief. When a man dies whose only contribution to the country was to ENTERTAIN people, the American people find the need to flock to a memorial in Hollywood , and even Congress sees the need to hold a "moment of silence" for his passing?

Am I missing something here? ONE man dies, and all of a sudden he's a freaking martyr because he entertained us for a few decades? What about all those SOLDIERS who have died to give us freedom? All those Soldiers who, knowing that they would be asked to fight in a war, still raised their hands and swore to defend the Constitution and the United States of America . Where is their moment of silence? Where are the people flocking to their graves or memorials and mourning over them because they made the ultimate sacrifice? Why is it when a Soldier dies, there are more people saying "good riddance," and "thank God for IEDs?" When did this country become so calloused to the sacrifice of GOOD MEN and WOMEN, that they can arbitrarily blow off their deaths, and instead, throw themselves into mourning for a "Pop Icon?"

I think that if they are going to hold a moment of silence IN CONGRESS for Michael Jackson, they need to hold a moment of silence for every service member killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. They need to PUBLICLY recognize every life that has been lost so that the American people can live their callous little lives in the luxury and freedom that WE, those that are living and those that have gone on, have provided for them. But, wait, that would take too much time, because there have been so many willing to make that sacrifice. After all, we will never make millions of dollars. We will never star in movies, or write hit songs that the world will listen too. We only shed our blood, sweat and tears so that people can enjoy what they have.

Sorry if I have offended, but I needed to say it. Remember these five words the next time you think of someone who is serving in the military;

"So that others may live..."

Isaac

P.S.-"So that others may live..." was also the creed of the Air Rescue & Recovery Service during Vietnam & is still today.

Security Company Scam

Mr. Albero:

I just wanted to update you & your readers -

The scam with the door-to-door security company 'sales' is still going on.

I live in one of the subdivisions near Adeloytte Town homes (Old OC and Beaglin Park). Today a white male, in his early to mid 20's, wearing a white shirt that said Pinehurst Security, khaki shorts, a white baseball cap and some sort of fake badge or ID thing hanging around his neck, was going door-to-door trying to get people to sign up for free installation of a security service. (And, I'm sure, give their personal info including their social security number, etc.)

I refused to open the door, yelled through the door to go away, and let the dog loose to bark and claw at the door. He refused to leave, and kept ringing my doorbell until I held my cell phone up to the door that I was calling the police. Minutes later, my husband came home, and when I met him at the door I saw the young man talking to my next door neighbor. We went over and confronted him. He claimed he had a permit from the city to solicit in our neighborhood, and was being VERY pushy with my neighbor, trying to get her to let him in her house. I told him to take a hike and that soliciting is not permitted in our neighborhood, with or without a permit, because our HOA does not allow it. I also told him I had seen something about this on your blog, which got him very agitated. He refused to leave. My husband stood in front of him and called the city police and then County Sheriff's Dept. and confirmed he had no permit. He finally went as far as the end of my neighbor's driveway. My husband called the Sheriff back and asked them to come out and remove a trespasser.

Once he realized we had really called the police, he took off and completely disappeared from the neighborhood, and was gone by the time the Sheriff drive through.

I don't know if this guy is scoping out houses to break into, is just trying to get social security numbers, or what, but it is DEFINITELY a scam. Please let your readers know to be careful - this guy was pretty aggressive.

Thanks -

A Concerned Homeowner in Salisbury

Two Important Petitions For Obama

JOBS FOR UNEMPLOYED IN JEOPARDY!

Sign Petition to White House Urging Obama to Keep E-Verify, Fence, No-Match Amendments.

www.numbersusa.com/petition

Four important amendments that open up jobs to unemployed Americans
won approval in the Homeland Security Bill this week.

Although passed by the Senate, the Conference Committee may eliminate them.

Please sign this petition to President Obama urging him to direct his staffers to
keep E-Verify, the border fence and No-Match Amendments that verifies Social
Security numbers of illegal aliens.

Please sign this petiton and forward to friends
www.numbersusa.com/petition


Will Obama's Health Care Suit Your Needs?

Speak up and act before its too late

Sign this petition
www.freeourhealthcarenow.com

Tuesday The House passed their version of health care, but will you have a voice or a choice?

CHOICE to chose your own doctor and health insurance plan that suits your family and budget.

ACCESS- no delay, no denial and be patient centered

FAIRNESS- same tax breaks for self-insured

RESPONSIBILTY-more control over health care decisions. Eliminate fraud and waste.

The United States has the best medical system in the world. Let us not destroy that in order to insure the million or so that desire and need health insurance.

President Obama claims that 40 million people are without health coverage. These are false numbers like much put out by this administration. According to census figures, over half of that number are illegal aliens. Of the remaining 20 million, over half can afford health insurance, but, chose to not purchase health coverage. Those that truly can not afford health coverage should receive assistance as they do now, but to dismantle the best medical system the world has ever seen is irrational.

European socialized medicine has not worked anywhere it has been attempted. Delay and denial in testing and treatment has caused needless suffering and death.

Let's tweak what isn't working by creating choice, access, fairness, and responsibility.

Please sign this petition and show the White House the people demand choice,access, fairness, and responsibility.

www.freeourhealthcarenow.com

Bombshell: Orders Revoked For Soldier Challenging President


Major victory for Army warrior questioning Obama's birthplace

Chelsea Schilling and Joe Kovacs© 2009 WorldNetDaily


Dr. Orly Taitz


A U.S. Army Reserve major from Florida scheduled to report for deployment to Afghanistan within days has had his military orders revoked after arguing he should not be required to serve under a president who has not proven his eligibility for office.



His attorney, Orly Taitz, confirmed to WND the military has rescinded his impending deployment orders.



"We won! We won before we even arrived," she said with excitement.

"It means that the military has nothing to show for Obama. It means that the military has directly responded by saying Obama is illegitimate – and they cannot fight it. Therefore, they are revoking the order!"

She continued, "They just said, 'Order revoked.' No explanation. No reasons – just revoked."

A hearing on the questions raised by Maj. Stefan Frederick Cook, an engineer who told WND he wants to serve his country in Afghanistan, was scheduled for July 16 at 9:30 a.m.



Join the petition campaign to make President Obama reveal his long-form, hospital-generated birth certificate!



"As an officer in the armed forces of the United States, it is [my] duty to gain clarification on any order we may believe illegal. With that said, if President Obama is found not to be a 'natural-born citizen,' he is not eligible to be commander-in-chief," he told WND only hours after the case was filed.

GO HERE to read more.

A Message From The Governor


Safe Neighborhoods, Safe Families

http://images.publicaster.com/ImageLibrary/account689/images/090603-OneMD-MSG.jpg

Improving public safety in our neighborhoods and communities is the most important obligation we have as public servants.

Yesterday, I was proud to stand with House Speaker Michael E. Busch, Annapolis Mayor Ellen Moyer, public safety officials and community leaders to celebrate the successes of the Capital City Safe Streets program, launched one year ago as a first-of-its-kind state and local partnership to reduce crime in Annapolis. To date, total crime is down 32 percent and violent crime is down 39 percent in Annapolis over the past year, when compared to the 12 months prior.

The Capital City Safe Streets initiative shows that by working together, across borders and throughout our One Maryland, we can harness the necessary tools to make our neighborhoods safer and protect Maryland families.  Today, we are seeing the unmistakable benefits of this unique partnership.

We continue to put families first by making public safety a top priority, achieving 66 fewer homicides last year statewide – a 12 percent reduction – the second highest reduction in homicides in nearly a quarter-century. We've increased public safety funding in Maryland by more than $200 million to make Maryland families safer, eliminated an inherited backlog of over 24,000 DNA samples, and created the Violence Prevention Initiative to identify and closely monitor the most violent, repeat offenders in our State to get them off the streets the moment they become a risk to the public.

The initiative in Annapolis demonstrates what we can accomplish when we work together. I look forward to similar partnerships with jurisdictions throughout Maryland, as we continue putting families first by improving public safety.

Martin O'Malley

Governor