On October 11, Greenbelt City Council heard a petition from Peggy Higgins, speaking as chair of the city’s Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC), regarding the handling of the council-adopted police reform resolution. A special closed session of council on October 12 was to address the circumstances of the resolution. After the resolution originally passed in council, an earlier and differently written version was erroneously used as the basis for an update to police orders, causing concern to PSAC. During the meeting, Police Chief Richard Bowers also updated council on local criminal activity, policing and difficulties in recruiting police personnel. Other matters on the agenda for this meeting are covered in a separate story.
Police Orders
Council’s policy resolution document affects the police procedures or general orders which govern everyday police activities. Differing in the erroneously substituted resolution document are the degree of officer accountability for body-worn cameras and the length of time for retention of photographs by the Police Department. In addition, police procedures, such as reform of stop-and-frisk procedures, traffic-stop protocols and the timeline for release of body-camera footage are still pending discussion with council.
Domestic Violence
Bowers informed council of the actions police have taken in protecting victims of domestic violence. Although October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, he noted that domestic violence is a year-round issue. The Police Department has a recently implemented Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) that works with victims and their families to end the cycle of violence and prevent future violent incidents.
Crime Statistics
Since Bowers reported in September, there have been only two violent crime incidents and violent crime (including robberies) seems to be decreasing. However, car theft (which includes carjacking and theft of parts like air bags, wheels and catalytic converters) is increasing and ahead of last year. Bowers mentioned anti-theft devices like “The Club” are useful. Most important for crime prevention is not to leave a running car unattended.
Police patrols at night have been increased in neighborhoods with more crime. The department now has special officers who do patrol and investigation.
CALEA Certification
CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., calea.org) is a credentialing authority created in 1979 by joint efforts of major law enforcement organizations. The Police Department has now passed its third year of the four-year rigorous CALEA Certification and will finish the process next spring. The department has had 85 percent of its files reviewed and deemed in compliance. Bowers pointed out, in reference to the police orders concerns, that changing them during the CALEA Certification process will force another review and further delay certification. The general orders covered by CALEA are listed at public.powerdms.com/gpd15/tree.
Staffing
Bowers said that operational staffing is expected to be at 51 positions by the end of the month, out of a quota of 53 sworn officers. He noted that such a high percentage of full complement is not ordinarily achieved.
Council Questions
Major Emmett Jordan asked about Greenbelt Police Department’s coordination with other police departments to determine if all jurisdictions are having the same crime statistics. Bowers responded that the car parts thefts are professional rings and jurisdictions are equally affected by their activities. Bowers noted that on a county level, police chiefs meet for a monthly discussion. Also, staff meet with their counterparts in countywide meetings.
Jordan inquired about resources to support full staffing operations. Councilmember Kristen Weaver noted that the money has already been allocated for 53 operational staff. Bowers replied that 51 positions are hard to maintain as staff sometimes must take leave or training and he described competition for qualified police officers as intense. To Councilmember Silke Pope’s question about the effectiveness of a curfew, Bowers responded that curfews are hard to enforce and making parents of juveniles responsible after hours is more effective.
In response to Pope’s question about what the city can do for recurring crime, Bowers said the city can work with the state’s attorney’s office to advocate that gun-related and violent crime offenders be detained and charged. To Councilmember Judith Davis’s comment about bigger towns “poaching” smaller town’s police officers, Bowers said “Big Fish Eat Little Fish,” explaining that bigger counties recruit staff from smaller departments. Councilmember Ric Gordon talked about speculative police information circulating on social media and the negative effect of those postings. Bowers will have suggestions for council on ways to increase staff recruiting and retention in the future.
Recruitment Bonus
The current budget includes an incentive bonus for new police recruits. After field training, the recruit gets $5,000 and also receives $5,000 for each of four years of service to encourage them to stay. The Police Department also offers a $10,000 signing bonus for experienced communication specialists and a $5,000 signing bonus for entry-level communication specialists. The bonus has been effective and Bowers said he hopes next year’s budget will also include the bonus.
City Initiatives
Interim City Manager Timothy George reported on city initiatives. He ranked the recent job fair at Beltway Plaza a success and has plans for another next spring, possibly in Greenbelt East. The city scored well on the web-based security system assessment and the new American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) website is up and running with real-time updates.
Jordan requested a clean spreadsheet of ARPA priorities with one page of totals. Jordan also suggested that council consider a new website for the city in next year’s budget as the current website is hard to maintain. Councilmember Colin Byrd suggested removing a pop-up from the current website. Gordon mentioned a bridge that needs additional lighting as it is dark and threatening around and under it at night. George will contact the state to discuss this and other state-related road issues.
Speed Reduction
A program to reduce speeds on city streets will be tested soon. George noted that testing effectiveness with temporary humps before putting down the permanent humps is best practice. Test speed humps will go first onto Ridge Road, likely during the week of October 17. Councilmember Rodney Roberts noted that Lastner Lane is being repaved and suggested putting speed humps in with the paving – but George cited the preference for testing first.
Parking Ordinance
Greenbelt’s parking code allows vehicles to remain in one location for 30 days. Other municipalities allow for from 30 hours up to 10 days. Pope introduced for first reading a resolution to limit vehicles to 14 days in one location. Discussion will take place on second reading at a subsequent council meeting.
FBI Headquarters
The criteria for the location of the FBI headquarters have changed and that change precludes a Greenbelt location. U.S. Senator Ben Cardin will contest the criteria change, according to Jordan.
City Manager Recruitment
Jordan talked with Baker Tilly, the firm conducting the search for the permanent Greenbelt city manager, about timelines and contacts. The point person for that search will be Ann Lewis who will be contacting councilmembers. The search will launch in November.
