Public safety in Montgomery County has deteriorated and all signs point to the trajectory not changing any time soon. As our county council and county executive announce new initiatives daily – from ground breakings to foreign trips – we wonder if the challenge of fixing public safety is too large and too intimidating for them, or if they simply do not have any good ideas. With that in mind we are recommending the following steps. They cost the county taxpayer nothing and would immediately have a positive impact on reversing the spiral we are in.
- Hold a public press conference with all members of the county council and county executive and make the following statement. The statement should also be distributed to all local press.
We are sorry. We have let you down. As elected officials one of the most important duties you have entrusted to us is ensuring the safety of you and your families. Despite our best attempts to spin the numbers or find a scape goat, it is clear we have failed in this duty. None of us when assuming public office imagined that our legacy could be leaving a community that was less safe than when we started – and yet here we are. We are committed to turning this around. It will be our primary focus. It will consume our collective energy. In reflection on how we got here it has become evident that we fell victim to a form of service that appears to be growing rampant in our society. Self-service. Swept away in a national movement, we became more concerned about how we might be viewed as opposed to what we provided. We were easily sucked into chasing a feeling of moral supremacy – no matter what it might call us to do to achieve it. As a result, we ceded power and influence to individuals, groups, and movements that were not elected to serve you. Each had their own ambitions and objectives, but none of them deserved to have their opinion be held above yours. Starting today we are going to change our trajectory. Many of the groups that we once listened to will call us all sorts of names, but the simple fact of the matter is that you deserve to not only feel safe, but to be safe. So, change is coming — and not in the form of more listening sessions or walks. In fact, we have several steps we are taking immediately that we are pleased to share. (step 2)
2. Implement the following changes.
- We are officially suspending all recommendations made under the Reimagining Public Safety Recommendations Report. For those recommendations that have been fully implemented we will be conducting a review of these recommendations based on a single indicator: have they contributed to a safer environment. Recommendations that are in progress or have not been started are cancelled.
- We are creating a new work group “Rebuilding Public Safety in Montgomery County” that will be tasked with creating a report by the July of 2024 outlining actions that the county council and county executive can take to: 1) improve public safety metrics in Montgomery County, and 2) create a culture that values and supports law enforcement officials. The workgroup will only include citizen and business representatives. No organizations or advocacy groups will be provided a seat on the workgroup.
- The Police Advisory Board will continue to operate but the current members will be expanded by 5 individuals. These individuals must be active police, each representing a different function of public safety.
- We are announcing that March 1st will officially be “Thank a LEO” day. We look forward to sharing with you a full slate of activities we have planned for our community to show our thanks and appreciation for those that serve us.
