Jewel of the Chesapeake: January 2013

Friends, neighbors, relatives and all other Bettertonians, you have barraged the Blogger with your concerns and solutions over the recent incident in Town. However, as much as I have pleaded no one would put their thoughts, no matter how well thought or not, into a comment on the Blog. Well the time of judgement comes tonight, January 8th, 2013 as our Town Council and Mayor gather to discuss what should or shouldn't be done. As the adage goes it is time to "Put Up or Shut Up" (excuse the vulgarity). I would urge all who can make it to attend tonight's Town meeting at the Community Center, if you can't, pick up a phone and call your favorite Council person or the Mayor and let them know your opinion(s). Our Town leaders will and do listen to their constituents but being quiet will not resolve existing and or prevent new issues from arising. For more information on timing of tonight's meeting go to the Town website on the Blog's link or contact Annette Green this morning! Good Luck and God Bless- Remember the future is up to you!

Well with over 490 views on the Blogger's posting of our recent stabbing in Betterton, it is a surprise that not one viewer has posted their thoughts and or possible solutions. So you should all know that this posting is a request for feedback. There is way to much wisdom and insight within the minds of Betterton to let this go. Is it time for a change? Do we let bygones be bygones? City Council will only take action if they hear from us and our Blog is an opportunity to share thoughts and get things moving. Silence is not an option whether you're a resident of Kent County or just a property owner or renter.

From what the blogger has learned from sources in town, once again a big thanks to our volunteer fire department who got to the scene of the crime and got the right medical care in the right time, THANK YOU!. The Kent County Sheriff's office did respond but it took some time. The latter is understandable in that there are limited resources that need to be shared throughout the county, so an hour's wait is not inconceivable, but this doesn't bring comfort to the victim of a crime especially when physically harmed. So what is the answer? Is this stabbing and the unexpected home invasions and thefts in 2012 the beginning of Betterton's downfall? What options need be considered and where will the resources come from? While Congress has managed to "put a hold on" our nation's fall from the fiscal cliff, I don't see them coming to the rescue of Betterton. So here is the B-Blogger's perspective, not a solution but rather an initiation of comment and feedback that will set the priority of this as an issue for our City Council and Mayor in 2013.

First, we need to be realistic that we cannot expect to receive a "rapid response" from our County Sheriff's office, there aren't enough men and women on their force to respond within minutes to a 911 call and the resources needed to make this an option aren't coming either.

Second, what about the Jewel's resources, one thought is the money that we pay out to the Sheriff's office to provide on site speed control. Personally, I don't see value in having to pay for off duty members of the Sheriff's department to hand out speed violations on a Monday afternoon. The Blogger has heard from several residents about an over zealousness to ticket Bettertonians rather than having a police car combing the streets of Betterton on Friday and Saturday nights from 11 pm - 4 am. Perhaps the dollars spent could be more wisely used to install speed bumps if the wisdom of our Town's leadership feels that speeding is a critical issue. The B-Blogger has heard that, in the past, there has been objection to speed bumps in that they cause issues with snow plowing our roads, however, there are millions of speed bumps in shopping centers, local communities and public spaces where snow fall is a much larger problem and they seem to manage well with speed bumps

Third is the increased use of lights and cameras. Today's technologies have created a host of cameras that can record in bright light as well as night time. While the B-Blogger has been told that traffic cams are illegal in Maryland except within a school zone, cameras on commercial residences, the community center, the Methodist Church and private homes are certainly within the realm of possibility. In fact the B-Blogger was told by law enforcement that camera's can be an immense help in fighting crime and burglary as a picture is worth a million in solving crimes. Perhaps our Town leaders could negotiate a reasonable cost so that residents whether full-time or part-time could purchase and install cameras and lights on and in their homes. B & H photography (www.bhphotovideo.com) would certainly be a first stop as one of the largest and most economical sources for cameras according to Consumer Reports. Let's also not forget about the large number of cell phone cameras owned by the community residents and discussing their role. Additionally there are "Medic Alert" devices that individuals, especially those living by themselves and or with issues of health can utilize to rapidly alert a group of people to critical situations such as robberies, medical alerts etc.

Fourth is the potential for the Town Council to create a committee of volunteers to develop a cost effective plan within a 90 day period to address security and safety within our Jewel. This committee could hold several Town meetings, on weekends to attract the largest audiences, which could bring in security experts to discuss effective options and address questions and concerns. The Town Council could then implement any necessary regulatory changes and or updates to bylaws that were needed to move forward with the committee's recommendations. The committee as well as Town Council would need to commit to action and not create a committee for the sake of a committee.

Fifth, the Town could once again try to implement a Town Watch using local volunteers.

Finally, every viewer of this post should submit a comment as to how they feel and what their thoughts are for action. Posts will be made public as long as they contain no foul language and are constructive. If you see a problem, verbalize it and then offer possible solutions. If we all contribute, empathize and compromise we will find effective solutions.

The rest is up to you! Happy New Year!