At the quarterly update to the Greenbelt City Council on Monday, July 31 (main story published separately, see page 7), Police Chief Richard Bowers and Interim City Manager Tim George updated council on city policing.
On a lighter note, George began by stating that e-bikes are now in service, though the photograph presented to council did not show Bowers as one of the riders and councilmembers wondered why. George noted that the chief had, in fact, requested a horse. Councilmember Judith Davis remarked that the city did at one time have a horse – but George registered that he was “not in favor of the horse.”
Bowers reported that the police had offered a successful week-long camp for children to promote trust in the police and offer children a different perspective on law enforcement. They plan to repeat it.
Unfortunately, these two items were perhaps the only light moments in a discussion that was otherwise a bleak outlook on a society that appears increasingly dystopian.
Violent Crime Down
Bowers explained that despite perceptions, violent crime is down so far this year compared to last year, with carjackings decreasing by 50 percent. Domestic violence and assaults, however, are up. Councilmember Colin Byrd asked about accountability for domestic violence and Bowers noted the deployment of the crisis intervention team and provision of victim resources.
Automotive Crime
Automotive crime has increased enormously over previous years – approximately 400 percent from last year to this year (and last year was already high). The catalyst for this seems to have been the decision by one major car manufacturer to remove from its vehicles even the simplest of deterrents to theft. The cars are easy to start and drive away, and information on how to do so is freely available on the web. Bowers said that 85 percent of car thefts involve this make of vehicle. Though the manufacturer offers a software fix available free at the dealership and the police have given away steering wheel locks, owners of the cars are not fully availing themselves of available protections.
The thieves are generally younger teenagers, under 16 and students in middle school or the first year of high school. Arrests of these youngsters have tripled from about 20 per year in previous years to about 60 per year currently. Many are arrested multiple times, with no apparent consequences from the judicial system. Bowers mentioned one local boy whom they have now arrested four times.
Breaking the Cycle
Bowers and his team are pondering ways to break the cycle. One suggestion hinged on bringing structure to the young offenders, for example a police officer who focuses on under-16 offenders, to support them. Bowers said that these young people commit crimes because they don’t think they have a future – and typically they have an inadequate home life that predisposes them to do poorly in school and to be engaged in anti-social activity. Bowers proposes a cross-services person to lead this effort to bring together other city services in support, for example CARES. He mentioned the earlier Explorer program which they hope to restart working in conjunction with the city’s recreation department, a half-time police officer and the school resource officers.
A Pessimistic View
Councilmember Judith Davis, herself a former teacher, described how teachers know, U.S. wide, that students are not optimistic about their lives and futures – that they see only doom and gloom ahead. She said that it wasn’t merely economic, it was a general atmosphere resulting from the negative impacts of climate change and the world situation. She told how when summer school students get to Eleanor Roosevelt High School, within 15 minutes of arrival many of them form ‘little gangs’ and head away from the school. She noted social media posts that suggest, inaccurately, that Greenbelt is the sixth most crime-ridden municipality in the state, and she was concerned that these perceptions would lead to an exodus.
Wild Driving
Councilmember Rodney Roberts complained about the lack of enforcement of traffic rules and described the dangerous driving that has become characteristic of major highways, with drivers dodging in and out of moving traffic at high speeds. Bowers responded that police don’t chase down these offenders because such pursuits have what he described as ‘bad outcomes,’ in terms of collateral damage from crashes involving police or other road users.
Bowers pointed out that there are only a few state troopers to cover miles of state highways and that there are more people, more cars and fewer policemen in proportion. He said that the individuals doing this driving know well that they will not be caught or prosecuted.
Bodycam Footage
Byrd asked about release of bodycam footage. Bowers said that the department was not opposed to transparency but in releasing bodycam footage, on a case-by-case basis, the police took into consideration the persons involved. In some cases, the footage could be released via email but in others, the material would be made accessible only at the police facility. He felt that the police must decide whether there is risk or benefit to the public in seeing the video and whether individuals involved should be protected from exposure on the internet.
Community Outreach/Information
A promised online dashboard giving near real-time reports on traffic and crime in the area was expected to already be operational. In testing, however, it was discovered that the upload from the department’s database was not accurately implemented and further work and testing is required. Bowers expected the dashboard to come online within a few weeks of the meeting.
In terms of community engagement, Bowers said the department was planning three community forums this fall in Greenbriar, Windsor Green and Greenbelt Station (hopefully hosted at the Verde apartments).
Staffing
Bowers reported that the department was at full complement of 53 officers now that the most recent academy graduates are joining the department. He anticipates a few departures in the fall, and anticipates an academy class late in the year. He hopes to bring back the bonus for new applicants (experience shows that no bonus equals no applicants). Bowers confirmed that there was still a dispatcher vacancy.