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  • DAVID GOAD

    DAVID GOAD
October 10, 2012

City police hire 2

Maryland’s Safe Streets initiative provides funds

From Staff Reports Cumberland Times-News

CUMBERLAND — The Cumberland Police Department has hired two new employees using a grant to enable the city to participate in the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention’s Safe Streets initiative.

David Goad has been hired as the Safe Streets Program coordinator. Goad has an extensive background in public safety, project management and the coordination of government services while serving as the past president of the National Sheriff’s Association and former sheriff of Allegany County.

Goad will be responsible for coordinating with all the agencies involved in the initiative to ensure that tasks are accomplished.

Jason Mellott has been hired as a crime analyst. Mellott has numerous years of experience in law enforcement and crime analysis, which he gained while serving with the U.S. military.

The new Crime Analysis Office will be housed with C3I and will examine crime patterns and trends as well as gather intelligence, all of which will be used to direct resources.

The original Maryland Safe Streets initiative was implemented in 2008 by the city of Annapolis, which started a pilot project designed to address crime and quality-of-life issues throughout the city.  

This project has met with great success, which included dramatic drops in the city’s crime rate.

Salisbury began a similar initiative in 2010 and as of July 2012, five additional cities, including Cumberland, have received grant funding allowing them to initiate similar projects.

The Maryland State Safe Streets initiative is a crime-reduction model that promotes collaboration and information-sharing across multiple agencies responsible for the welfare of their communities.

The public agencies work together to reduce crime and improve the quality of their neighborhoods.

The Cumberland Police Department is designated as the Safe Streets implementing agency and has established a Cumberland Safe Streets Coalition.

This coalition consists of the mayor and City Council; Cumberland Department of Community Development; Cumberland Housing Authority; Allegany County’s State’s Attorney’s Office; Sheriff’s Office; Combined Narcotics Investigation Unit; Detention Center; Health Department; Board of Commissioners; Combined Criminal Investigation Unit; Department of Parole and Probation; Western Correctional Institution and North Branch Correctional Institution; Maryland State Police; U.S. Attorney’s Office; Maryland Department of Juvenile Services and the FBI.

The coalition will meet regularly to discuss crime-related issues in the Cumberland area and brainstorm how to address the issues through a unified strategy, all with the goal of making the streets safer.

The Allegany County State’s Attorney’s Office has been awarded additional grant funding to hire Chuck Goldstrom as a deputy state’s attorney investigator to support the project.

Goldstrom is retired from the Maryland State Police, having previously served as the administrative supervisor of C3I and has an extensive background in criminal investigation.

He will be responsible for ensuring that cases are properly prepared for court in an effort to increase a successful prosecution rate.

The Cumberland Police Department recognizes that in order to be successful, it will need the support of the community.

Police are urging citizens to help in this endeavor by continuing to report crime and support the officers so together the community can make the streets safer.

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