On Monday, December 4, the Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC) met with the Greenbelt City Council for a periodic review. After a brief discussion of the group’s activities since their last meeting with council two years ago, Mayor Emmett Jordan set the tone for the rest of the meeting, noting increasing crime, especially juvenile crime, carjackings and gun violence. Among the issues raised were PSAC’s ability to review a 2022 officer-involved shooting, youth crime and the conflict between the desire for increased security cameras and resident privacy.
2022 Shooting
One issue came up several times throughout the meeting. PSAC Chair Peggy Higgins noted that in February 2023, the committee asked to review a police-involved shooting that occurred in May 2022. Later in the meeting, Bill Orleans, of Crescent Road, brought up the issue again, noting his understanding that the police department, while permitting PSAC members to view body camera footage, prohibited them from reporting on what they saw.
Greenbelt Police Chief Richard Bowers said the department’s concern, shared by the city solicitor and the then interim city manager, was with the safety of the person who was shot. He was in a mental health crisis, Bowers said, and subject to the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) limitations on disclosure of this information. He said that any report by PSAC contrary to the official findings could put the city at risk of civil liability. Higgins commented that she and Bowers have “a strong difference of opinion” over this issue.
When she noted that PSAC has not gotten a response from council on its request for access, Jordan said that this was an administrative decision, not a policy decision, and is under the chief and city manager’s jurisdiction.
Cameras
In 2017, PSAC submitted a report with recommendations about additional security camera placements. Council has suggested that PSAC review and update its recommendations. The committee reached out to Bowers for input and he suggested pivoting to license-plate readers, which the department thinks will be a better investment.
Councilmember Rodney Roberts pronounced himself “flabbergasted” at the discussion of cameras, for which he said the evidence is pretty clear that they are not helping. He said that the real need is for local prosecutors to start prosecuting car thefts and carjackings even if no one is hurt. PSAC member Stan Zirkin noted enforcement can be problematic, given that adult gangs are using juveniles to steal cars, knowing that if caught the juvenile is going to face very limited sanctions. He also noted that PSAC’s focus is on violent crime, not car thefts.
PSAC member Steven Mirsky, an engineer, stated that the existing city cameras usually cannot even identify the person involved in a crime and to improve the reliability and effectiveness of the city’s cameras would place a large drain on Greenbelt’s limited information technology resources. Mirsky said that license-plate readers would be more effective and criminals would soon learn that Greenbelt is not an easy mark.
Privacy v. Safety
Several members of both council and PSAC noted that residents are reporting feeling less safe in Greenbelt than in the past. Zirkin noted that more crime is happening in broad daylight.
Councilmember Kristen Weaver stated that the effectiveness of cameras and license-plate readers must be balanced with privacy concerns, noting that residents have expressed concerns about being constantly tracked.
PSAC member Mary Thomas said that transparency can help alleviate some of these concerns. Bowers said that the city records over its video footage every 30 days. Officers will copy selected videos needed for investigation of a crime to a separate device within those 30 days. License-plate reader footage is transferred to the state government for retention.
Regarding juvenile crime, Bowers said the department attempts to have engagement with youths prior to their involvement in the criminal justice process. City officers seek to have positive encounters with kids.
Resident Bob Rand suggested that PSAC research what other cities are doing. He also reminded those present of the 2021/22 findings by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, which found discrepancies between the number of citations and warnings issued to white males versus Black, non-Hispanic males. He was pleased, however, to see PSAC and police taking a more holistic approach to crime.
Resident Matt Inzeo suggested a police cadet program aimed at middle-school students. Bowers said his department is working with the recreation department on a public safety explorer program involving the police and fire departments.
There was some discussion of a city anonymous tip line. However, Bowers said that past efforts had not been successful, so the department now uses Prince George’s Crime Solvers as its source for anonymous tips.
Action?
PSAC member Eunice Pierre called the worksessions good, but asked where the action is. She noted that PSAC and council have been talking about cameras for years.