BY JENNIFER MOXLEY
SALISBURY POST

He’s a man of his word.

Salisbury Police Chief Chris Herring has been talking community policing since he was hired in May 1999.

His officers have seen him at meetings with citizens and walking the neighborhoods on foot patrol, and now they’ll see him in public housing.

For the past month, Herring, his wife, Sharon, and two daughters, Jazzmin Leslie and Moula Christine, have been living in public housing just like 1,800 other Salisbury residents.

“Overall, I’m going to try to encourage police employees to become more active in the community,” Herring said, “not only while here at work but living in the community.”

Herring had to make the first move.

Of course, moving from a spacious two-story home in the Westcliffe community to a city-owned residence, Herring had to have his family’s support.

“We had to discuss the issues of home investment because we’re holding off buying a home now,” Herring said.

And there were concerns of having his two daughters, both toddlers, living in an area commonly connected with crime.

“But that question was answered because, obviously, others in the community have children,” Herring said.

Herring asked the Post not to publish his family’s address.

Most importantly, the chief said he wants to break the stereotypes of public housing.

“This will also help deal with the perception. All public housing is not high crime, all public housing is not violent and all public housing does not have bad residents, and that is why I could move my family there.”

Layton Woodcock, the executive director of the Salisbury Housing Authority, said the chief is making a unprecedented move.

“I think he’s setting an excellent example for other officers in the Police Department,” Woodcock said.

“It will have a positive influence on the neighborhood. In some areas, we do have some problems like other areas and other neighborhoods,” he said.

Herring already has seen a few problems in the month he has been there.

“There has been a drive-by shooting, and I’ve had a domestic and a street argument. I was able to communicate with all parties involved,” Herring said.

In the instance of the drive-by shooting, police had a heads-up when “the residents were willing to identify the driver,” Herring said.

“Usually you get ‘I didn’t see nothing, and I don’t know nothing.’ Clearly, this is helping build good relationships with people who want to combat crime in their neighborhoods,” he said.

Along-standing partnership between the Housing Authority and the Police Department helped make Herring’s move possible.

“We have an on-going partnership with the Police Department,” Woodcock said. “And I think the neighborhood has readily accepted the chief as a neighbor.

“… In other cities and other housing authorities, from time to time you hear about officers living in public housing but never a chief.”

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development encourages police officers to live in low-income housing.

By providing low rate loans or no-rent apartments, getting officers into more diverse neighborhoods is ideal. Herring could live there free but has chosen to pay rent.

“Unfortunately, public housing in some locations has a bad reputation … Clearly, that’s not the case here if the chief is willing to move into public housing,” Woodcock said.

“It would be great if we could have a couple of more officers living in those neighborhoods.”