Criminal justice reform: A new approach to crime prevention and community relations

Instituting practical crime fighting measures to make Delaware safer while promoting positive community relations. I am proud to have initiated several community policing programs, including the #HugACop campaign which has been replicated internationally. Community policing is at the core of any good public safety strategy. As Sir Robert Peel stated, “The police are the public, and the public are the police.” Aggressive police ticketing practices run contrary to police approachability and trust. An action point from President Obama’s 21st Department of Justice Policing Report states, “Law enforcement agencies and municipalities should refrain from practices requiring officers to issue a predetermined number of tickets, citations, arrests, or summonses, or to initiate investigative contacts with citizens for reasons not directly related to improving public safety, such as generating revenue.” Legislative Hall should enact this recommendation and many others from the report.

Combating the heroin epidemic: Treatment and prevention, not incarceration

For too long, we have dedicated too many of our resources towards fighting drugs through incarcerating low-level users. The results have left a heroin problem raging throughout Delaware. We need a paradigm shift in how we fight drug use – we need to focus on treatment and prevention through education, and not incarceration.

Economic development

Encouraging businesses that pay livable wages to come to Delaware. The fix to our economic problems can only come from a complete revamping of how we approach attracting businesses to this state. DEDO’s approach has been to provide millions of dollars of our tax dollars to companies with lackluster results. We should instead be focusing on making Delaware a business-friendly state, where companies encourage their workers and their families to invest in the Delaware community. This will not happen until our educational system becomes attractive and people are not scared of walking down the street.

Improving education: changing our approach to education

Bussing has failed our state. The schools remain segregated and positive results are non-existent. The recently passed Wilmington Education Improvement Commission redistricting plan is a practical first step in making our schools conducive to receiving a quality education. We also need to reinforce the importance of arts and music in the education of our children. Not only do the arts encourage creative thinking, but the emotional satisfaction and confidence achieved from learning an instrument or completing a work of art can do wonders in helping work through hardships at home. I am fortunate that my parents encouraged me to learn the guitar at a young age, and the return on my investment of time in playing it has been exponential and has transcended every aspect of my life.

Playing defense

I am fiscally conservative and liberal on many social issues. I will defend those principles and oppose legislation that runs contrary to them, regardless of the Party that proposed the harmful legislation. We as a society need to focus on our principles over our Party.