Overview of Salem’s Public Safety Collaboration

Over the past several months, our team has been hard at work strengthening partnerships and building a collaborative approach to public safety in Salem.

Earlier this year, the City was selected to join the Bloomberg-Harvard City Leadership Initiative — a year-long program that helps cities address key challenges through innovation and collaboration. I chose public safety as our focus area, and together with Assistant Police Chief Brandon Ditto and Strategic Initiatives Manager Courtney Knox Busch, we’ve been representing Salem as one of 12 cities nationwide in the Collaboration Track.

In July and August, we participated in immersive sessions in New York City to learn new tools for cross-sector problem solving. Out of that work, a pilot project began to take shape — one that centers on downtown public safety and livability by bringing together residents, businesses, City staff, advocates, and service providers. Our goal is to build a model that can later expand into other parts of Salem, including Northeast Salem.

On October 7th, we brought together a Group of 30 community collaborators for our first cross-sector kickoff session, facilitated by the Bloomberg-Harvard team. It was inspiring to see so many perspectives come to the table — all united by the shared goal of creating a safe, clean, and healthy Salem.

In parallel with this initiative, City Council approved a supplemental budget to strengthen the city’s Safety and Livability efforts, including:

• Adding two Homeless Services Team officers to expand coverage to seven days a week.

• Expanding the Salem Outreach and Livability Services (SOS) Team and cleanup efforts citywide.

• Launching a mobile crisis response pilot, pairing Fire Department EMTs with Marion County mental health professionals starting in January.

These efforts together mark a major step forward. By combining collaboration, compassion, and action, we’re laying the groundwork for a public safety model that reflects Salem’s values — one built on connection, trust, and shared responsibility.

Looking ahead, our next phase will focus on implementing the downtown pilot and refining our approach based on what we learn. I’m grateful to everyone who’s helping shape this work — because when we come together, we move Salem forward.