Cecil Solidarity has been actively fighting to expand the search for the next Elkton Chief of Police, and asked that they include members of the community in the search process. Our efforts include attending town meetings (you can view the August 12 meeting on YouTube) and sending a joint letter with Reverend Brown of Wright’s AME Church and Ms. Murray of the Cecil County NAACP. The response we received was one of disinterest in outside opinions.
We asked that “As such, we are continuing to ask that you include representatives from our community on the hiring committee. This decision should not be made by one individual alone as one individual is not able to fully know and understand all of the needs and experiences of the community.” and Lewis George, the town administrator, responded “Once I have finalized a candidate, or perhaps several candidates, I will engage the participation of the Mayor and Commissioners in order for them to participate in the selection of our next Chief of Police.”
Thus, we are asking members of Cecil Solidarity to flood the leaders of Elkton with a message that this is unacceptable. Our voices must be heard! You can also call them at (410) 398-0970 x2.
Email Template
Lewis George Lewis.George@elkton.org
Robert Alt Robert.Alt@elkton.org
Charles Givens Charles.Givens@elkton.org
Earl Piner Earl.Piner@elkton.org
Jean Broomell Jean.Broomell@elkton.org
Rob Massimiano Rob.Massimiano@elkton.org
Mayor Alt/Town Administrator George/Town Commissioners Broomell, Givens, Massimiano, and Piner:
We are contacting you today about the current hiring process for the next Elkton Chief of Police. After hearing feedback from a strong coalition of community members at the town hall last week you continue to dismiss our concerns by not following through with any of the recommendations. Town Administrator Lewis George’s response that he will continue to make the decision at his discretion with no community oversight is unacceptable.
Given the significant impact that the Chief of Police has on our community, it is vital that the voices of that community are heard directly throughout the process. We are demanding that you open the hiring committee to include diverse community representation and that the entirety of the hiring process remains open and transparent.
Until our voices are heard, we will continue to contact you.
Sincerely,
The absolute disregard of the discrimination suffered by Black, POC, and Queer citizens, who you are sworn to serve and protect, is unconscionable. Where is the diversity on your force? Representation matters! Ban chokeholds! End qualified immunity! Overwhelm your department with individuals who better represent the ENTIRE community. Require diversity training. Require officers to participate in mental health awareness, training, and evaluate officers own mental health regularly. Provide an unbiased review board to investigate complaints against officers. Enough is enough.