Calvin Ball saw Wayne Livesay take the heat in Oakland Mills community meetings for five years.
Residents would confront the police chief over the problem of crime in their village, said the former Oakland Mills village board member.
“The chief spent a lot of time on the hotseat,” said Ball, who was also a member of the village?s revitalization committee.
But Oakland Mills, which once had one of the highest crime rates in the county, has experienced a dramatic reduction in crime under Livesay, the department?s longest-serving police chief.
Between 2002 and 2005, the police department?s statistics have shown drops in:
? Liquor violations by 67 percent
? Trespassing by 53 percent
? Drug violations by 51 percent
? Fight calls by 44 percent
? Breaking and entering and intoxicated subjects by 26 percent;
? Assault calls by 18 percent
? Disorderly conduct calls by 17 percent
The department also conducted major drug sweeps that targeted Oakland Mills among other communities in Columbia, and arrested dozens of dealers, which community leaders said helped improve the atmosphere of the village.
Ball, who now represents Oakland Mills on the Howard County Council, said Livesay worked with the community to reduce crime.
“He helped make sure there was additional bike officers trained. He was concerned with village center and pathway safety,” Ball said.
In 2003, Livesay assigned a full-time community police officer to the Oakland Mills Village Center. In 2004, the police department built a highly visible police substation, known as a police satellite office, within the village. The community officer, Michael Johnson, made his presence felt in the village, which contributed to the reduced crime rate in the area, police said.
Livesay said the department?s gains against crime in the community are a significant part of his eight-year legacy as police chief.
“A lot of people thought we couldn?t reduce crime there,” he said.
Editor?s note
This is the second in a three-day series on the tenure of Wayne Livesay, Howard County?s longest-serving police chief. On Friday, The Examiner will look at Livesay?s internal struggles in the police department.
