Greenbelt was transformed into Bluebelt for a while on August 8, as Chief James Craze and other officers of the Police Department joined the city council at its regular meeting to honor seven of their members.
New Officers
First in line were the city’s two newest police officers, David Howe and Ryan Patterson, to whom Mayor Emmett Jordan administered the oath of office. Both were accompanied by family and friends. Both are 26 years old and will graduate from the Maryland Police and Corrections Training Academy on September 2.
Howe is a Prince George’s County native, having grown up in Fairmount Heights and graduated from Parkdale High School. At Parkdale, he was on the wrestling team all four years, going undefeated in singles competition during his senior year and placing third in the county and fifth in the regional tournament. Following other jobs, he entered security work six years ago. He says that was the first time he was actually excited about going to work, which sparked his interest in policing and eventually brought him to Greenbelt.
Born in McKeesport, Pa., Patterson subsequently moved to Montgomery County, where he graduated from Wootten High School in Rockville. He received an associate’s degree from Montgomery College and is now close to completing a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at the University of Maryland. Patterson has worked as a personal trainer and as a security guard. He looks forward to having a positive influence on the Greenbelt community as a police officer.
Lifesaving Awards
Chief Craze presented Greenbelt Police Lifesaving Awards to four officers for outstanding service and actions that resulted in their saving the lives of others.
On December 13, 2015 MPO Gerald Potts responded to a call in Greenbelt East regarding someone who was unconscious. During an initial assessment, the individual stopped breathing and was successfully resuscitated by Potts. Before the fire department arrived, however, the person stopped breathing again. Potts was once again able to resuscitate the individual, who continued to breathe until being transported to Doctors Hospital.
MPO Michael Eppard engaged in two successful rescues. On April 14, he and other officers arrived at a residence in Greenbelt West in response to a call about a juvenile who had attempted suicide and was now unresponsive. Eppard successfully resuscitated and revived the individual, who was then taken to Laurel Hospital.
On June 4, officers responded to a call about a cutting in Greenbelt West. Eppard located the victim, who was bleeding profusely from a wound to a vein leading to the femoral artery. Eppard used a tourniquet to slow the bleeding and applied pressure until the arrival of the fire department. The emergency room physician at Washington Hospital Center said it was only because of the prompt use of the tourniquet that the victim was alive.
MPO Michael Apgar and Officer Irelisse Fernández responded to a call on an attempted suicide in Greenbelt East on July 7. Apgar found that the patient had no pulse and took over the CPR from the family member who had been administering it. Apgar continued CPR until Fernández arrived with an automated external defibrillator, but it was decided that it was not advisable to administer shock. The officers continued CPR until the fire department arrived. The victim had regained a pulse and was taken to Prince George’s Hospital Center.
Employee of the Year
Craze recognized Shaniya Lashley-Mullen for receiving the Police Chiefs Association of Prince George’s County Civilian Employee of Year award in June. Craze said the especially impressive thing is that this is the second time Lashley-Mullen has received this award, which is open to countywide competition.
After working as a communications specialist and as a records specialist II in the Police Department for 14 years, Lashley-Mullen moved to the city manager’s office as an administrative assistant this summer. While in the Police Department, she coordinated National Crime Information Center (NCIC) information as well as other programs and played a leadership role in the vital work of merging and scanning reports into the department’s systems to enhance the speed and accuracy of record retrieval. In addition to the performance of her job duties, she was recognized for her active engagement in community outreach for the department, including volunteer work with the annual Greenbelt “Shop with a Cop” program, the department’s Labor Day Community Booth and her unforgettable appearances in the role of McGruff the Crime Dog.