Local business owners say they are concerned about a proposal by Salisbury Police Chief Barbara Duncan to close them down for up to a year after responding to repeated crime reports.
The Salisbury Daily Times reports that the measure could trigger a hearing to determine if a property poses a public nuisance if there are as few as two separate reports within two years.
Duncan says the measure would simply be a way to save a drain on city resources as well as keeping citizens and police officers safe.
The paper says that an often divided City Council has largely gotten behind the so-called “lockout ordinance.”
But Council member Shanie Shields say she want to be sure that the law is enforced fairly while other want more information on the appeals process.
The Baltimore based law was set to come before the council on Monday but that was delayed so that Duncan could get more details about the measure.
It’s expected to come up at the March 25th session.
