Long Neck Strong group says crime problem not a quick fix after multiple meetings

For homeowners of the Long Neck area, it doesn't matter if they live in a $50,000 single-wide trailer or $2 million waterfront mansion — they're scared.

Residents of Long Neck, Oak Orchard, Angola and other nearby areas said they've seen a dramatic increase in crime recently. In addition to years of break-ins and petty thefts ascribed to a local heroin and opiate addiction epidemic, several local businesses have been robbed at gunpoint in the last month.

Residents say they have been robbed in the streets and see more cars speeding, leading to accidents. 

"My main concern is elderly people," 66-year-old resident John Matyjewicz said. "They're afraid to go to the stores, they're afraid to go out at night."

Local officials and Delaware State Police are listening to residents, as several meetings have taken place in packed rooms thanks to a grassroots community organization called Long Neck Strong.

The group, which formed "almost on a whim" according to one of the organizers, has been gathering concerned citizens into its ranks since forming in late April.

The first two public meetings of the group were standing room only.

And the latest meeting on May 15 with public officials had mixed results. Some left feeling positive that steps have been taken to calm insecurities. Others see this as just the beginning of a long road to fixing the problem of drugs, crime, traffic and lack of police presence in the quiet suburb-like area that connects Dagsboro with Rehoboth Beach.

But because the area is unincorporated, it does not have its own police force.  Long Neck and surrounding areas instead rely on state troopers.

That lack of a municipal police force has become the focus at every single meeting.

Delaware State Police Maj. Sean Moriarty gave a presentation May 15 in which he said that crashes and crime were actually trending downward in the area, and any perception of an increase is due to a misunderstanding of recent events.

State Sen. Brian Pettyjohn called social media a "rumor mill" that made a few incidents look like a crime wave. 

But residents say they are still worried. The area has a known drug problem, which residents and authorities blame for the crime problem. The area has a large proportion of retirees, many of whom used to walk their neighborhoods — not anymore.

"Some really bad things happened in a really short period of time," said Long Neck Strong member Glenn Schuster. "There are houses in Long Neck that cost $2 million. There are houses that cost $50,000.

"Everybody's equally afraid."

Location, location, location

The growing Long Neck area has been an attraction for many new residents due to its key position on the water but out of the way location of major beach towns of Bethany Beach, Lewes and Rehoboth Beach.

It serves a mix of full-time residents and weekend vacationers with homes ranging from antique isolated farmhouses to aging trailer parks to middle income subdivisions to high-end resort communities like Pot-Nets and Baywood, home of the lush Baywood Greens Golf Course.

The unincorporated area is largely rural, but has seen its fair share of development in recent years. Long Neck had a recorded population of 1,980 in the most recent 2010 census, but Oak Orchard and Angola were not surveyed. 

The main thoroughfare is Route 24, John J. Williams Highway, which serves as a connector between Dagsboro off Route 113 and Route 1 in Rehoboth Beach. Traffic is heavy at all times on the two-lane road, but becomes more dense in summer as vacationers flood the roadway on their way to the beaches.

"Long Neck is gentle, it's small, it's a gateway to Rehoboth, Lewes and Route 1, there's a lot of tourist traffic," Schuster said previously. "There's a lot of permanent development here, it's a nice area."

But the growing concern about drugs, crime and traffic have Long Neck area residents wanting a greater police presence.

A quick solution presented by police at the most recent meeting was for residents to form neighborhood watch committees since police are stretched too thin.

Police also made phone numbers, websites and social media channels available and asked residents to become their "eyes and ears."

"We all share the same concerns about crime in the area," Pettyjohn said. "We don't want people living in fear in their own homes, in their own neighborhoods, while they're going shopping."

The public meetings have helped residents gather information about some things about the area, however.

Now, all of the residents understand that Millsboro and Lewes police departments can't help patrol the area. Those departments are only legally allowed to operate within the corporate limits of those municipalities. They can answer calls in the unincorporated area involving injuries or when requested to do so by the state police.

The meeting on May 15 was attended by Sens. Gerald Hocker, Pettyjohn and Rep. Ruth Briggs-King, along with Moriarty, who is chief of operations for Kent and Sussex Counties. Capt. Darren Short of Troop 7 in Rehoboth Beach and Capt. Rodney Layfield of Troop 4 in Georgetown were also present to listen to concerns.

Moriarty's presentation was heavy on statistics – statistics that the Long Neck Strong members are not disputing. Moriarty said the numbers indicate that while crashes and crime are up in Troop 7's jurisdiction, crime is down significantly overall in the Long Neck/Oak Orchard area.

But assault is up almost 2 percent and robbery is up nearly 17 percent.

And that's why Long Neck Strong continues to worry.

"Everybody uses the same businesses," said Schuster, one of the founders of Long Neck Strong. "And (the authorities) seem to be missing this. What they want to tell us is that they have crime under control – and they do – and things are working well – and they are, but not right here, right now."

A community united 

It was a business closure that brought the community together.

The Kick N' Chicken restaurant on Route 24 was closed in late April by owner Charlie Pollard, who feared for the safety of his employees after six years of burglaries and vandalism.

In response to the crime and spurred by the closure of Kick N' Chicken, resident Kris Arway, 53, in desperation posted to several Facebook groups. She suggested that citizens get organized and attend the regular town hall meeting held by Hocker, Pettyjohn and Briggs-King at the Indian River Fire House in Oak Orchard.

"I was heartbroken that Charlie had to close his restaurant because of crime," Arway said. "It's almost like we're the forgotten mile down here. All I did was put out that post, and the next week the Ocean Grill allowed us to have a meeting there."

She thought maybe 10 or 20 people would show up. Instead, many people were just waiting for someone to get the ball rolling. The restaurant filled to capacity..

One of the most recent additions was John McDowell. His neighborhood off Friendship Road was plagued with hand-to-hand drug deals and prostitution, he said.

"Just like (Pollard), I thought I was battling this by myself," McDowell said. "I didn't think anybody cared, they tend to shy away, they don't want to get involved, they're worried about retribution. When I heard about Long Neck Strong, I was absolutely inspired.

"Thank God someone is stepping up and doing something about this."

And it's those types of feelings the give some of the members hope going forward. By no means do they all agree, but a conversation has been started. 

Long Neck Strong knows there won't be much change for 2018. Sussex County's proposed budget for fiscal year 2018 did not add any additional troopers to the 44 who patrol all of Sussex County, but did increase their funding by $700,000 for the year.

While Schuster is happy police are listening, he won't be satisfied until more police are patrolling. 

Schuster is keen on educating people about the citizens' police academy and citizens' drug enforcement academy provided by DSP, which demonstrate how troopers handle day-to-day crime investigation. He said at least they can get an understanding of how the police think.

"It's not police coverage, but it's better than no contact with the police," he said.

Other members have noted an increased presence by the DSP since the meeting. Arway has seen them patrolling in the wee hours as she goes to work, something they never did before, she said.

She is one of the members who feels that some positive change has come out of the meeting. She said at least the channels of communication have been opened. She feels that if they continue to organize, form committees, and attend all the meetings offered – including coffee and breakfast meetings now offered individually by Pettyjohn, Briggs-King, Layfield and Short – the authorities will get to know them personally, and that will give Long Neck Strong's concerns a little more weight.

She also thinks educating the members and taking advantage of educational opportunities from the DSP will yield benefits in the long run.

"Until the state and the county figure things out, we can work together as a community to make ourselves safer," she said. "The reason they are listening to us now is (the media) got involved. We've caught their attention, they know we're here, and we're not going anywhere."

Arway thinks they have to trust that the police are doing everything they can within their limitations.

Matyjewicz also believes that the DSP is doing "an outstanding job providing excellent service," in Moriarty's words. Matyjewicz doesn't think the drug or crime problem will be solved anytime soon.

"I think that it's going to be a permanent thing," said John Matyjewicz. "We got together because of the crime, but eventually I think we'll take on other causes in the area to keep strong and together and help people out."

Although both sides of the issue are still taking baby steps, one positive thing has already emerged from this: Charlie Pollard has returned to reopen Kick N' Chicken on Route 24.

"The right decision in that moment was to get out of there," said Pollard. "Within 24 hours, there were calls to action. John and his wife and Kris Arway were focused on that. I showed up at the (first) meeting because it was the right thing to do.

"By calling that meeting, they were reacting to my actions and they deserve my support. It was meaningful to me. I thought I was fighting a battle by myself, and apparently I'm not, I have teammates."

dferrar@delmarvanow.com