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Crime & Safety

Crime Conundrum: Riverdale Park Works To Improve Community Policing

Riverdale Park police are making an effort to establish good communication and relationships with the community in order to further impact crime.

Violent crime was down in Riverdale Park in the first six months of this year compared to the same period in 2010, mirroring statistics that show an overall decrease in crime in Prince George’s County. 

However, Chief David Morris said that property crimes, which include theft, burglary and automobile theft, remained the same as last year. 

There were 28 violent crimes reported in Riverdale Park from January through the end of October, police report, compared to 41 in the same 10 months of 2010. 

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But there were 130 reports of property crime in the first six months of both 2010 and 2011, Morris said. Property crimes are more common than crimes of violence because criminals don’t have to interact with their victims, he explained. 

Despite fewer violent crimes, Morris said there is still a perception that the area is not safe. 

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“From a public safety perspective, I constantly try to address the perception of safety in Riverdale Park,” Morris said. “It doesn’t matter what the numbers say if people don’t feel safe.”

Changing a perception is difficult, Morris said, because a lower crime rate means nothing to the person who has been a victim of a crime. 

Morris, who has been in police work for 26 years, said police have focused efforts on Ward 1 and Ward 2 after receiving reports of drug and drug-related crimes.  Morris said police conducted surveillance in those areas and based on the information they gathered, were able to make several arrests in drug-related offenses. 

Riverdale Park police also work to educate people on how to avoid becoming victims. 

Morris encourages residents to join community associations and other civic groups, as well as to participate in vacation watch, which involves informing local police when they will be out of town and leaving contact information.

“What I find is that when folks get actively involved in their own safety, then they tend to feel safer,” Morris said.

In the winter, he said motor vehicle thefts tend to increase, largely because to warm up, a crime in itself for which residents can receive a $70 fine and a point on their licenses. Some high school students see the idling cars as an opportunity to shorten the walk to school on cold days, Morris said, adding that they usually leave the car a few blocks from the school.

Ward 5 Councilman Raymond Rivas started a in where he works as the community manager. The purpose of the club is to get the children in the building involved in activities to keep them out of trouble, Rivas said.

Part of the goal, Rivas said, is to build their self-esteem and character; all the children in his group have to sign a behavioral expectation form, which requires them to stay away from underage drinking, drugs and other illicit activities.

However, Rivas says this does not guarantee that children won’t decide to explore other options. He’s had to remove people from the program because they began experimenting with drinking, were skipping school and taking joyrides.

“The older ones start experimenting with these things, and I don’t want to have to get them out of the group, but it’s tough because I have 10- and 12-year-olds in the group that I want to try to keep away from those patterns,” Rivas said.

Editor's Note: This post is a part of a larger series about crime in Prince George's County. Click here to see more stories on the Crime Conundrum.

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