Category: Public Safety Page 1 of 30
The fourth reason to attend tomorrow’s National Night Out is to meet your neighbors and join the Neighborhood Watch Program. According to crime statistics, crime in our area is not limited to nighttime. Not everyone can afford a home security system. Police can’t be everywhere at once and must rely on the active participation of community residents for crime prevention. Since crime is most likely to occur when no one is watching, a Neighborhood Watch team can act as an extra set of “eyes and ears” when police aren’t around. Neighborhood Watch does more than just canvass the community. It also allows residents to get to know others in the neighborhood, open the lines of communication with local police and encourage better overall cooperation among residents in crime prevention efforts. Participation in Neighborhood Watch builds confidence and encourages residents to take an active interest in one another’s properties and livelihoods. Please come and find out how you can also start your Neighborhood Watch program on your street block.
More than 16,000 communities nationwide will host National Night Out events on Tuesday, Aug. 1st, hoping to promote involvement in crime prevention activities, police-community partnerships, and neighborhood friends and send a message to criminals letting them know that their neighborhoods are organized and fighting back. In College Park, the National Night Out will take place at several locations throughout the city. Please learn more about this year’s National Night Out here on City’s website: https://www.collegeparkmd.gov/nno
Neighborhood Watch
Join the Prince George’s County Police Department at the Mall of Prince George’s on May 18th for a Steering Wheel Lock Giveaway! Owners of Hyundai or Kia’s (2015-2020) can show proof of residency and ownership to claim. Stay safe – get there while supplies last!
Many of you have asked about yesterday’s disturbing incident of the “street takeover.” Some of the questions are related to how the incident unfolded and how police helped to end it.
Our police officers will be at tomorrow’s Public Safety meeting to discuss crime in the area. Residents will have opportunities to ask questions. I would expect that the issue of loud noise and “Street takeover” will be addressed in this meeting.
The meeting will start at 7:30 pm Monday, April 10.
This is a virtual meeting so you can join from the convenience of your home. Here you can find more information about the meeting and how to join:
https://collegeparkmd.gov/Calendar.aspx?EID=6540&month=4&year=2023&day=10&calType=0
The meeting is regularly attended by City elected officials, police, the Department of Public Services, and neighbors from around the City for an informative monthly meeting.
This community-wide meeting discusses City-wide statistics, recent incidents of public interest, neighborhood watch tips, and special public safety-related topics. Tell your friends and neighbors to join the zoom meeting here.
Link: https://zoom.us/j/96024845217
Last night a loud street take-over incident happened last night at the Edgewood Rd and Rhode Island Avenue intersection.
Based on what I learned, from 2:00 AM till 2:40 AM, about 15 high-powered cars did burnouts + spins in this intersection to a crowd of 150 or so. They blocked the intersection on all roads. Cars spun around at high rpm with loud screeching and smoke from spinning tires. A police helicopter showed up around 2:20 AM. Around 2:45 AM, Police ended the spinouts, and the crowd dispersed.
Police said several cars were impounded. They are investigating the incident further.
You can watch a video of the incident here:
A MOCO PG EXCLUSIVE: CAR MEET MEMBERS vs. PGPD SHOWDOWN ON RHODE ISLAND AVE IN COLLEGE PARK– pic.twitter.com/CL8rMe9mCr
— MoCo PG News (@MoCoPGNews) April 8, 2023
This car theft incident has really struck my nerve. Unfortunately, the victim lives in north College Park. The resident’s minivan was stolen at his job site in Baltimore first. The thief found the victim’s W2 form and the keys inside the van. He then drove the minivan to his home in College Park and stole his personal vehicle. Please read more about the incident here in this Fox news article.
Police are advising us to follow these simple steps to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future:
- Never leave keys inside or on your vehicle. Always keep them on your person
- Ensure that all doors and windows are secure before leaving the vehicle unattended.
- When possible, park the vehicle in a well-lit area.
- Never leave valuables in plain sight. (Hide it, lock it, or keep it)
Recently, wheels from several cars in north College Park were stolen. Police have advised us to follow the following tips to prevent similar crimes from happening in the future. If you see any suspicious activities in your neighborhood, please do not hesitate to call 911. Thanks a lot for your help! Stay safe!
Thank you all who took the time to submit your testimonies about Senate Bill SB-229.
A House version of the bill, HB-1130 has been introduced The hearing is set for 1:00 pm on March 2, 2023. You can read more about the bill here: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb1130
The College Park City Council has supported this bill. Some of the Council members will also testify at the March 2nd hearing,
House committees require registration via MyMGA two business days in advance. This means the signup window for Thursday’s hearing on HB 1130 in the House Environment and Transportation Committee is tomorrow from 8 am to 3 pm.
Please follow this quick tutorial on signing a Maryland General Assembly (MGA) bill.
More on how to submit testimonies can be found here: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/pubs-current/current-ent-faqs.pdf
Thank you!
The City plans to install 15 new security cameras on new utility poles to City’s existing security network.
The City plans to install 15 new security cameras on new utility poles to City’s existing security network. The plan also includes adding 19 cameras to the existing maintenance contract with City’s camera vendor Hitachi Vantara and funding Pepco’s cost to provide power to those utility poles.
Another security camera project has been undertaken at the office complex on Baltimore Avenue between Calvert and Hartwick Roads. For this project, we used four cameras from our existing inventory. Those cameras will also be added to our maintenance contract when the warranty expires. This cost is included in the current proposal.
The map shows the new locations in our security camera system. Out of 15 cameras, two will be added to north College Park – one at the end of Lackawanna street near the Metro, and another on Rhode Island Avenue near Duvall Field.
All cameras will be independent, stand-alone cameras with 360-degree fixed-focus views. Video data is stored on-site and retrievable remotely. These will not be on the UMPD monitored system, but they and PGPD investigators will have access to the video.
The total project cost, including the Pepco cost, is $295,926.83. A portion of the cost is anticipated to be reimbursed with CPCUP Grant funds ($119,221), with the remainder to be funded from Capital Improvement Project # 092003 funds.
October 9-15 is National Fire Prevention Week. This year will focus on the need to prevent fires ,and escape quickly if one occurs. The theme is “Fire Won’t Wait, Plan Your Escape”
The City’s October community public safety Zoom meeting will feature public fire safety educator Ms. Teresa Crisman, Director of Public Affairs, Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office. Ms. Crisman will present life saving information about fire prevention, and escape from home fires.
This Zoom will begin at 7:30 p.m., Monday, 10thOctober 2022
Here is the Zoom link:
https://zoom.us/j/96024845217