SALISBURY – Officials in Wicomico County this week agreed to execute a mutual aid agreement among nine county sheriff departments.
On Tuesday, the Wicomico County Council voted to approve a resolution allowing the county to enter into a mutual aid agreement with the governmental bodies and sheriff departments of all nine counties on the Eastern Shore.
Sheriff Mike Lewis told officials this week the agreement – drafted by Wicomico County Deputy State’s Attorney Bill McDermott and approved by the Maryland Attorney General’s Office – would allow the departments to offer mutual aid and assistance during certain situations that require additional police personnel, resources or equipment. He noted in recent weeks he had received calls for assistance from the Ocean City Police Department and two requests for K-9 deployment.
“We don’t have any updated MOU (memorandum of understanding) in place to assist for criminal investigations, drug investigations, K-9 deployment or civil unrest in our community,” he said. “This would afford every sheriff on the entire Eastern Shore, from Cecil County all the way to Somerset County, the ability to pool our resources and pull from one another.”
While the department has MOUs with municipalities in other counties, Lewis said the mutual aid agreement would be the first of its kind to involve each sheriff department on the Eastern Shore.
“We recognize we simply can’t do it alone …,” he said. “It’s been heavily reported that officers are leaving the job in droves right now, so we have to have the ability to pull from one another.”
Wicomico County State’s Attorney Jamie Dykes told the council on Tuesday her office supported the agreement.
“Proper preparation prevents poor performance, and that’s what this is,” she said. “Sheriff Lewis is charged with public safety and enforcing the laws of the state. With resources low in many jurisdictions … the strain on our resources can be untenable. Dependable, responsive resources are a must.”
Council Attorney Bob Taylor, however, said he questioned the procedures for authorizing a mutual aid agreement. He said the council would need to adopt an ordinance to do so.
“I believe an ordinance is required,” he said. “There are two ways the council can go about this. They can either adopt this today as proposed, and if you do I would strongly suggest you come back and do an ordinance as quickly as possible … Or you can just table and do an ordinance.”
McDermott, however, disagreed with Taylor’s suggestion.
“Time is of the essence,” he said. “That’s why I think a resolution is a better vehicle. It’s temporary and it meets all the obligations of the parties.”
Councilman Josh Hastings questioned the urgent need for a mutual aid agreement. McDermott replied that the agreement had the full support of the Maryland State Police and shared much needed resources with neighboring agencies.
“Preparation is the best solution,” he said. “And you always wish you had prepared when things go bad.”
Councilman Joe Holloway said he supported moving forward with the resolution and revisiting the need for an ordinance at a later date. He also questioned if the Local Government Insurance Trust (LGIT), the county’s insurance company, had reviewed the agreement.
“LGIT attends our monthly sheriff’s meetings across the state,” Lewis replied. “This is not only something that’s been discussed with them, but they request we act on this as soon as possible.”
Hastings, however, said he was concerned with the lack of oversight afforded to the community.
“Are there ways to improve this to make sure there is oversight?” he said. “We are at a fever pitch when it comes to racial tension, especially with law enforcement. Now we see something before us that says there is not going to be oversight, or very limited oversight.”
Councilman Bill McCain said he wanted more time to review the agreement.
“We had very little time to digest this …,” he said. “I also have a concern from a taxpayer standpoint when we send our resources to other counties.”
A motion to postpone a vote on the resolution, however, failed with Hastings, McCain and Councilman Ernie Davis in favor and Holloway, Councilman John Cannon, Councilwoman Nicole Acle and Council President Larry Dodd opposed.
After further discussion, a motion to approve the resolution passed with Holloway, Cannon, Acle and Dodd in favor and Hastings, McCain and Davis abstaining.
“I do think we need more time,” Hastings said.
