The SACC hosted the February General Membership Luncheon on Thursday, February 17th in the Black Diamond Lodge at Adams Taphouse in Fruitland, Maryland. Over fifty attendees enjoyed great networking and a delicious luncheon.
The Chamber welcomed Wicomico County States Attorney Jamie Dykes as the luncheon featured speaker. States Attorney Dykes recapped the calendar year 2021 and gave a glimpse forward to 2022.
States Attorney Dykes outlined a few year-end statistics and commented that the pandemic and its impacts on the community, likely were responsible for some of the upward tick in some crime across the County. In Wicomico County, homicides rose from 3 in 2020 to 5 in 2021. Non-fatal shootings rose from 11 in 2020 to 17 in 2021.
In the City of Salisbury, fatal and non-fatal shootings went from 13 in 2020 to 16 in 2021. While Wicomico fared better than other jurisdictions, States Attorney Dykes lamented the increases in these statistics.
Looking ahead to 2022, Jamie shared with the audience, “I am leaning in to listen in 2022”. One of her goals is to increase confidence and understanding of the criminal justice system among Wicomico citizens. Outreach will be key to improving that understanding. Another challenge is the retention and recruitment of high-quality staff to the Office of the States Attorney.
She commented, “Nationally, law school enrollments are in decline, this presents challenges to smaller more rural jurisdictions.” Dykes added that the average College Law School debt is now at $160,000.00, which adds to the challenges of attracting the best and brightest. She shared that concern with the audience, “It is hard to compete for talent when major metro areas are also targeting the same law school graduates.” Two other areas that will be goals for 2022 include the creation of an Evidence Review Unit and increasing accountability for all in the office.
The next SACC General Membership Luncheon will be held at 11:3 AM on March 17, 2022, at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne, MD, and will feature Maryland State Comptroller Peter Franchot. For more information or to register visit the calendar of events at www.salisburyarea.com.
