POCOMOKE CITY, Md. -- City leaders called for an emergency public safety meeting to take place on Tuesday night. The call to action came on the heels of a shooting that happened late on the night of Friday, June 6th.
Just one day later, Pocomoke officials have already narrowed down a laundry list of suggestions to actionable ideas.
New Safety Initiatives:
- Increased foot patrol in certain areas.
- The Neighborhood Watch program is coming back.
- The city will be launching a Youth Task Force.
- The City and Pocomoke High School will restart the Youth Council to amplify student leadership and civic engagement.
- The Pocomoke Arts Commission gained over 10 new volunteers
Reverend James Jones is just hoping the new efforts pan out.
"We got 13-year-old's carrying guns, that's got to end, and that's not anything that we can play with," said Jones. "We have to change their mind and redirect their thoughts today or they'll never experience a tomorrow."
Councilmember Sharnell Tull, who represents District 3, is confident a revamped Arts Commission will help make that happen.
"Writing your thoughts down, writing your feeling versus acting them out all the time," said Tull. "Kids need to know they have another outlet, they need to know they have a peace somewhere."
Perhaps the biggest revelation from Tuesday night's meeting, and one of the main focuses moving forward, will be opening up a community center.
"Excellent, excellent thing," said Jones.
The community is contributing in a big way too. On Tuesday, incoming Worcester County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Annette Wallace pledged $10,000 over the next five years. Dr. Matthew Record(former Principal at Pocomoke Middle School) and Dr. Jennifer Rayne(current Pocomoke High School Principal) each pledged $5,000.
Other pledges from members of the community brought the total up to $35,000.
"The pledges that were made last night were one of the many steps in the right direction of continuing to build a strong community in Pocomoke City," said Wallace. "All the research states that prevention and proactive measures are the best ways to have strong and healthy communities."
Wallace said opportunities to participate in sports and arts, as well as education in financial literacy, could all play a huge role in making Pocomoke City safer.
The $35,000 might be a small start, but it's not insignificant, and Mayor Todd Nock expects the first round of committed donations to motivate the rest of the community.
"I'm sure more business owners, more community leaders, more churches, maybe even some councilmembers and maybe even the mayor will also step up and pledge their own money to make this dream come true," said Nock.
If people are in a position to donate and are willing to do so, they are encouraged to reach out to Dr. Wallace.
Her email is: Aewallace@worcesterk12.org
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More than 100 people attended Tuesday's meeting, the goal of which was to find solutions to a growing problem.
Pocomoke City Chief of Police Arthur Hancock tells WBOC that in the past 18 months, the number of calls for shots fired or gun-related incidents has risen by 29%.
That statistic sparked some emotional testimony.
"There has been so much gun violence over the past, like two months, it is so scary," said Danielle Westbrook.
It also led others to ask some hard-hitting questions.
"What are the plans to implement for our at-risk youth, especially with this uptick in gun violence," said one neighbor, asking a question directed at the Pocomoke City Council.
Mayor Todd Nock quickly took over the mic to respond.
"The straightforward answer to you're question is: that's why we are here tonight," said Nock.
Many of the people we spoke with on Tuesday don't believe there's an easy answer.
"I really think it's going to take a lot of ideas and coming together and different solutions from different perspectives," said Amy Glenn.
People do, however, already have a few ideas in mind. Some of them come from law enforcement leaders.
"We want to pepper the town with surveillance cameras," said Hancock. "We've got another three going up this week, they are a very good tool for our investigators."
Hancock said the city also plans on installing four live cameras with license plate readers. Those should be up and running within a few weeks.
The community itself can also play a key role, according to Hancock.
"The more that I can put out there to our citizens that if they see something, say something. If you're a witness, be a witness. If you're a victim of something, report that you've been a victim of something and give us an opportunity to put a stop to this once and for all," said Hancock.
Other ideas were suggested by neighbors at Tuesday night's meeting, such as Mark Thompson from the Boys and Girls Club.
"We're trying to find some positive activities, maybe bring down that workforce training for the ones that graduate that don't go to college, and then give them a technical skill," said Thompson. "There's so many things that they could do."
While this issue will not get solved overnight, neighbors are confident that Tuesday night was a solid starting point.
"We're going in the right direction," said Glenn. "I think there's a lot of people here that want to see Pocomoke safer than what it has been lately."
Mayor Nock said the complaints, discussion points, and solutions presented at Tuesday's meeting will be taken to heart. The city plans to craft a plan in the coming days to help make Pocomoke City safer.