Community of Frederick Still Plans to Educate About Drug Awareness

by CMA 303 Comment Closed
By Jamone Davis After a long journey of debates and heated discussions, the Maryland Senate voted 35-12 to pass SB 627, a bill that would allow people who fit the requirements to receive medical marijuana from their doctors. People who are caught with 10 grams or less of marijuana would receive a citation and/or be fined without the incident going on their record. The bill is set to take effect in October this year. It does not make paraphernalia legal by any means and any officer that pulls someone over that smells weed has probable cause to search the vehicles. Now, some delegates felt different about this new law. In no way, shape or form do they feel this new law is acceptable. “House of Delegates, you can do better. Our people deserve better. Our kids deserve a better message, and this is not it,” said Del. Michael McDermott, a representative of Somerset County. What message is this bill actually sending to the students still...
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Sheriff Department Captain Raises Awareness of Marijuana Decriminalization’s Impact on Law Enforcement

by CMA 303 Comment Closed
By Erin Droneburg Beginning in October 2014, Maryland will decriminalize use or possession of up to ten grams of marijuana. This offense will be lowered from a criminal offense to a civil offense. Any person who is found with a decriminalized quantity of marijuana will be issued a civil citation. The citation will come with a monetary penalty, all of which will be allotted to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The law will bring a good deal of change for the state as a whole, especially within law enforcement agencies. Captain Tim Clarke of the Frederick County Sheriff’s Department says that the new law will alter the way that deputies carry out drug-related responses. He also points out areas of the bill that are not specific enough, which make adapting agency procedures more difficult. One change will change current conditions that provide probable cause for conducting searches. Now, Clarke says, the odor of burnt marijuana is probable cause to search for drugs; with the...
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Frederick City Police Budget Increases Due to Staffing Goals

by CMA 303 Comment Closed
By Stacey Axler The increase in the budget to over $28 million for the year is primarily due to an increase in the “Police Staffing Strategy” which suggests a raise in the salaries and staff members for the department and increases the budget for “police equipment and technology necessary for the core function of police work. At the budget meeting, Ledwell and Fiscal Affairs Manager of the Frederick City Police Heather Reader presented graphs showing that the population of Frederick city has grown steadily over the past few years, which has resulted in an increase of calls for service. According to Ledwell, these statistics suggest that an increase in hiring of officers is necessary.  The budget includes room to “over-hire” five officers to the department.  Currently, the city police staffs around 200 employees. Ledwell hopes the number of employees will increase by five per year to reflect the growing population of Frederick. Besides for officers, the budget also reflects the hiring of all...
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Tensions Flare at Board of Aldermen Meeting

by CMA 303 Comment Closed
Community members involved with the Fort Detrick Restoration Advisory Board, known as the Fort Detrick RAB, discussed their mounting ecological concerns due to what they claim stem from government negligence at a Frederick, Md. Board of Alderman meeting Thursday evening. Two supporters of the Fort Detrick RAB, Jennifer Haan and George Rudy, addressed the Board of Alderman during the meeting to discuss, according to Haan, the “imminent ecological danger that will affect the Frederick community.” “The City government is simply not doing enough to address problems that Fort Detrick wants to help solve,” Rudy, a pending Fort Detrick RAB member and Downtown Frederick resident, said.  “[The government] hasn’t done [it’s] job.” (more…)...
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