Monday, April 22, 2013
The county police say their Special Operations Division is prepared for situations similar to the Boston bombings and school shootings.
As the nation continues to digest the news from the Boston area bombings and shooting last week that led to a all-day long manhunt for the remaining suspect in the case in Watertown, MA Friday, Prince George's County police say they have been training for similar situations. The police department's Special Operations Division informed the community Friday of its specialized training and its ability to be prepared for a situation should it happen in Maryland. “What we’re all watching on TV is likely opening the eyes of every law enforcement agency in the nation," Lt. Chris Price, Commander of SOD’s Special Services Section, stated in a police press release. Price said the units within SOD train weekly throughout the county, simulating …
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Automated cameras could snap pics of motorists who illegally pass stopped school buses.
Prince George's County police may soon have a new tool to catch motorists who overtake school buses as they take on and unload students at bus stops. Yesterday, the Prince George's County Council Health, Education and Human Services Committee unanimously approved a bill which would allow county school and law enforcement officials to install automated cameras which snap photos of motorists who illegally pass stopped school buses. "We're not looking to generate revenue from this," said Maj. Robert Liberati, of the Prince George's County Police Department. "There aren't enough violations. We look at this simply as a public safety matter." Called "stop arm cameras", the devices would only be active when the school bus driver has deployed …
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Annual game, known as "The Tommy" commemorates DeMatha hockey alum, former PGPD officer Thomas Jensen.
Former Prince George's County Police officer Thomas Jensen, who died in 2010 as a result of injuries sustained on duty, will be honored at a DeMatha hockey game against Calvert Hall High School today in Laurel. Jensen, a graduate of DeMatha's class of 2000, played varsity hockey at DeMatha and on the Prince George's County Fraternal Order of Police 89ers hockey team after he began working for the department in 2004. In March 2010, Jensen died after sustaining severe injuries to his head and neck during an auto wreck in College Park as he responded to a burglary in progress. The game, known as "The Tommy", will be played at the Gardens Ice House in Laurel today at 4 p.m. Admission is free, though donations to the Thomas P. Jensen …
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
A Riverdale Park and East Riverdale crime log from Jan 3-8.
Below is a rundown of notable police responses from the past week in Riverdale Park and East Riverdale (via Crime Reports). Crimes include a hold-up on East West Highway and Kenilworth Avenue and several thefts from vehicles. RIVERDALE PARK (Riverdale Park Police Department) EAST RIVERDALE (Prince George's County Police Department)
Thursday, January 3, 2013
A Riverdale Park and East Riverdale crime log from Dec. 28-Jan. 1.
Below is a rundown of notable police responses from the past week in Riverdale Park and East Riverdale (via Crime Reports). Crimes include an auto theft on Queensbury Road and an assault on Oglethorpe Street. RIVERDALE PARK (Riverdale Park Police Department) EAST RIVERDALE (Prince George's County Police Department) Let Patch save you time. Get great local stories delivered right to your inbox or smartphone everyday with our free newsletter. Simple, fast sign-up here. Start a blog | Upload an event | Post an announcement
Girl, missing since New Year's Day, last seen in Mount Rainier.
Prince George's County Police are investigating the disappearance of a 13-year-old girl from Mount Rainier. Police do not believe the girl was kidnapped, and said that she had a history of running away from home. The girl, named Citalli Yamileth Colon-Ventura, was last seen near her home in the 3300 block of Buchanan Street in Mount Rainier at approximately 2 p.m. on Jan. 1, 2013. The girl, described by police as Hispanic, stands about five feet tall, with brown eyes and black hair. She was wearing a brown shirt and blue pants. Anyone with information about the whereabouts of this girl are encouraged to call detectives with the Prince George's County Police Department's District I Investigative Section at 301-699-2601.
County police deploying extra forces to five neighborhoods throughout January.
The Prince George's County Police Department will be deploying extra officers in some areas of the county as part of an effort to continue a trend of crime reductions. Each night throughout the month of January, there will be up to 125 extra police working the beat in select neighborhoods where criminal activity has historically been an inssue. The officers will be deployed to five Prince George's County neighborhoods: Langley Park, Riverdale, Suitland, Hillcrest Heights and Glassmanor. Those areas are part of the county's Transforming Neighborhoods initiative, plan to reduce crime through interagency cooperation designed to address the root causes of criminal activity in those neighborhoods. The program has been credited with a sharp …
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Officials say the county has seen a 35 percent drop in homicides over the past year.
When it comes to crime in Prince George's County, the 1980s are coming back. At a standing-room only news conference at the county's District III police station in Palmer Park, Prince George's County police and government officials announced a year of historically low crime statistics, including drastic reductions in the homicide rate and the residential burglary rate. The last time crime was this low, Ronald Reagan was president and Doug Williams was the Redskins' quarterback. Prince George's County Police Chief Mark Magaw highlighted improved inter-agency cooperation among county departments with a focus on reducing crime as a critical element in the decline. Dubbed the Transforming Neighborhoods Initiative, the program sees the heads …
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Boy was one of two victims, police say.
A 14-year-old boy has died after being shot in what police believe was a gang-related shooting in Lewisdale early Wednesday. At 12:15 a.m. on Dec. 5, police were called to the 2200 block of Sheridan Street for a report of a shooting. Officers arriving on the scene discovered two males suffering from gunshot wounds. One adult male was transported to a local hospital and is in stable condition. The second victim, 14-year-old Eliezer Benjamin Reyes of Lewisdale, was transported to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Police said that the preliminary investigation indicates that the shots were fired from a car as the victims and two other witnesses walked down the street together. Police said that two of the people in the group …
Friday, November 16, 2012
Officers appeared in uniform in "spoof" video parodying notion of "driving while black", according to Prince George's Police Chief.
Two Prince George's County Police Department officers have been suspended today for acting in a video posted to YouTube which county Police Chief Mark Magaw described as racially insensitive. According to Magaw, speaking to reporters during a press conference at Prince George's County police headquarters in Palmer Park, the officers could be fired for taking part in the video, which he said was supposed to "spoof" the idea of "driving while black", the idea that African-American's are treated with more scrutiny by police officers patrolling the streets, roads and highways. "A profane and racially insensitive video including two Prince George's County Police Department officers was circulated on the internet," said Magaw to reporters. "The…
morgan gale
6:15 pm on Sunday, April 14, 2013
I think it's a good idea. I always wish though that we would consider installing and maintaining the cameras ourselves. Why not provide jobs and skills to our citizens and a program to make children safer? Let private industry think of and use is own money to find its bright ideas. more ›