Corporal Heacook was a tragic loss that struck the community and the state and now members of the Delaware General Assembly want to fix a problem that has been revisited a couple of times before.
Delmar, tabbed as the little town too big one for one state elects two mayors and two councils. The police officers cannot collectively bargain under the Delaware Police Officers’ and Firefighters’ Employment Act. It reads that a public employer is one that has 25 or more employees.
Even though the department does, there is a sixty to forty percent split in favor of the Maryland side essentially meaning there are not enough Delmar Delaware employees to be considered a public employer.
Primary sponsor and 8th District senator David Sokola wants to bridge the gap.
“The police officers of Delmar do deserve the same opportunities and protections available to other municipal departments in Delaware,” Sokola said. “Delmar police officers I think should have the opportunity to bargain.”
Police Chief Ivan Barkley declined to comment. Real estate agent Pam Price says even though Delmar is not a high crime area, its growth makes it an important place to keep safe and thinks the bill would help do that.
And right up the road in Salisbury a young black male died in police custody last week while shackled. High level cover up meetings all week as SPD and SFD bicker over who is at fault, yet not a single statement or press release and the local media won’t dare cross Mayor Jake due to the long-standing threats of being shut out for reporting the truth about what’s really happening in Salisbury. The town is being run more like a totalitarian regime than an open democratic place. There is HUGE liability in this incident and it is being hidden.