Taking a stand against bullying and hate crimes, Wildwood Mayor Ed Wolf read a proclamation Monday night putting the city on record with the Not in Our Town movement.
Commissioners also heard suggestions from a resident to improve police procedures and community service.
These actions come amid a national landscape of widespread protests against police brutality and racial discrimination.
The proclamation declared that the city “stands up against bigotry and hate-based violence of all kinds” and opposes discrimination due to race, faith, ethnicity, national origin, legal status, gender, age, disability or sexual orientation.
“Not in Our Town, Not in Our Nation,” the proclamation read.
The national Not in Our Town campaign grew out of a 1995 PBS documentary and Bloomington, Ill., became the first city to adopt it. Since then, other cities have endorsed the program. The national project provides films, resources and training through a school program and in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Services.
During the public forum portion of the meeting, resident Mary Wimberly suggested improvements in police procedures.
“The community cannot develop a rapport with officers if they drive by in their vehicles, waving,” she said.
Besides using body and dash cameras, Wimberly said officers should be encouraged to report other officers who use excessive force.
Hiring practices should screen out applicants who are unsuited for police duties, she said, and a civilian board should provide oversight.
“Just as college isn’t for everyone, being a cop isn’t for everyone,” Wimberly said.
Wolf said many of Wimberly’s suggestions have been implemented and others may be enacted by Congress.
“We have implemented some of these with our hiring practices,” he said. “We’ve really made an effort to improve our policies.”
For example, the mayor said, officers no longer respond to some neighborhood calls in SWAT clothing.
Wolf asked Wimberly to give a copy of her suggestions to City Administrator Jason McHugh.
“There isn’t one thing on Mary’s list that we haven’t been doing,” McHugh said.
