Salisbury – Mayor Jake Day and City Administrator Julia Glanz today announced that the City is accepting applications for membership on its Criminal Justice Reform Task Force (CJRTF). Announced in early May as part of the Salisbury Police Department’s Comprehensive Trust Rebuilding Initiative, the CJRTF will study and discuss current and past issues at all levels of the criminal justice system, and provide input and feedback to elected officials and the Chief of the Salisbury Police Department.
City Administrator Glanz said, “The Criminal Justice Reform Task Force is part of a larger plan for engendering trust in our Police Department, and I think it’s one of the more critical components because it provides citizens with an active seat at the table, informing decisions on the front end.”
News of the formation of the CJRTF came on May 7th, as Salisbury Police Chief Barbara Duncan publicly announced the details of the Trust Rebuilding Initiative for the first time. The plan was created to ensure the highest level of transparency and integrity within the department by holding to the SPD’s core values: partnership, respect, integrity, dedication, and empowerment. The CJRTF is one of the plan’s several measures aimed at ensuring citizens are heard by City leadership. Also included in the “Listening and Learning From Citizens” portion of the plan are the re-establishment of a Citizens’ Police Academy, complaint mediation, and opening new pathways to ensure that citizen complaints are heard and addressed.
“It is critical that we engage with citizens and let them know that we hear them,” said Chief Barbara Duncan. “And, just as importantly, we have to let folks know that we’re taking their concerns and frustrations to heart, and we’re addressing them.”
Calls for applicants to the task force come at a time of nationwide unrest, set off by the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, among others. Mayor Jake Day noted the importance of open dialogue in affecting positive change.
“This is the most tumultuous time for our country since the late 1960s,” said the Mayor. “Though we may be powerless to change the most despicable chapters of our past, we have tremendous power to shape the future – if we work together. Disenfranchisement, institutional poverty, institutional racism, any and all forms of inequality require one side to remain voiceless. Right now in America, more than any other time I can remember, individual voices are joining together, amplifying a message of equality and respect for human life. The CJRTF is just one piece of a larger puzzle that will put us at the forefront of agencies taking real, meaningful steps to build trust, and let citizens know that they are valued, and that their voices are important.
“As an American, and as a human being, I feel sincere empathy for anyone who has ever felt fear, been slighted, or suffered hatred or scorn over the color of their skin – but I can’t claim to understand how it feels. What I can do is take steps to improve things here in our city, and stand with my fellow citizens to declare that yes, black lives matter. In this community, we are blessed to have so many partners who have been helping us with youth center programming, public gardens, and neighborhood engagement. Together we will continue to do the work of addressing inequality, and making Salisbury the best small city in America. I have the utmost faith in City Administrator Glanz, Chief Duncan, and our community partners, and I know that Salisbury will be the example for other cities to follow.”
Membership on the CJRTF will be limited to 15. To participate, one must be 18 years-of-age or older, and a resident of Wicomico County. Applications will be accepted through June 30th. To be considered, please go to www.salisbury.md/CJRTF
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Thank you for your interest in the Criminal Justice Reform Task Force. Please take a moment and fill out the form below to be considered.
www.salisbury.md
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and complete the online application.
