Prince George's County Police are Refining
Community Approach
BY HAROLD GOODRIDGE
Whether it's a dispute with neighbor, an abandoned car, rowdy kids or a
full-blown drug problem in your community, the Prince George's County police
want to hear about it.
The department is reaching out to residents, asking them to share their problems
and concerns, no matter how big or small, through its 6-year-old Community
Oriented Policing, or C.O.P.S, program.
This is one of the points made by county police officials at a community
meeting Oct. 27 at the Beltsville community center. The department's Beltsville
station has designated two C.O.P.S. officers to act as liaisons to residents in
different parts of South Laurel, and one in West Laurel.
Officer Michael Eubanks works in the area east of Route 1 from Contee Road north
to the city line. Officer James Woody's area is east of Route 1 from Contee Road
south to Muirkirk Road, including the South Laurel Drive area. Cpl. Dan Ricker
handles the West Laurel area.
The C.O.P.S. officers' duties include patrolling their respective beats, often
on a mountain bike. The officers handle a variety of calls, from drugs to
neighbor disputes to abandoned cars.
Making their task different from that of patrol officers, the C.O.P.S. officers'
goal is to eradicate any problem brought to them. Patrol officers often do not
have the time or authority to do more than just quell a problem or disturbance.
Ricker, assistant supervisor of the Beltsville station's C.O.P.S. unit, said,
"We can deal directly with (the community) rather than taking a report and
bringing it to a detective. We can handle it ourselves."
Capt. Gary Corso, assistant commander of the Beltsville station, said the
C.O.P.S. program has grown more effective during its six years. An example is
how the police go after drug dealers. "Before, we might find a dealer and
just have them arrested," he said. But that dealer often would be released
and end up back in the neighborhood dealing again. "Now we find out who
they are, get them arrested, have them evicted and try to find out the reasons
behind the crime. Before we would just go after the symptoms. Now we're going
after the root." Corso added that C.O.P.S. officers work closely with drug
rehabilitation programs.
The program also emphasizes keeping in close touch with neighborhood
organizations and residents. "We want to hear about any quality-of-life
complaints, such as neighbor disputes, abandoned cars, college students being
noisy, or someone not maintaining their property."
John Dollen, president of the West Laurel Civic Association, agreed that the
program has dramatically improved. "They have come leaps and bounds over
the last three years," Dollen said. "They have maintained a
relationship with the community." That was not always the case, Dollen
said. "Now they go to every district and hold meetings. That's a great way
to stay in touch with the community."
Dollen said an example of increasing police responsiveness occurred a couple of
weeks ago, when his association wanted information on some recent crimes in that
area. "We have had some recent break-ins and a car stolen," Dollen
said. He learned about the incidents through an e-mail network created as part
of West Laurel's Neighborhood Watch program. "I gave the e-mail straight to
Corso because I wanted to know if there was some kind of pattern," Dollen
said. Corso responded immediately, letting him know he had looked into the
crimes and did not find a pattern.
Eubanks said his experience as a C.O.P.S. officer is much different from his
days as a patrol officer. "When I was a patrol officer I didn't have time
to talk and meet people, store owners, and now I do."
Like other C.O.P.S. officers, Eubanks does much of his patrolling on a mountain
bike. He said it gives him a closer look at his community. "People are more
inclined to come and talk to you," Eubanks said. "The bike makes you
more approachable." Ricker said most of the problems and crime that C.O.P.S.
officers address in the Laurel area occur in apartment complexes.
A majority of the calls are for drugs, tampering with cars and stolen
vehicles," he said. "The majority of people (in troubled areas) are
your average people trying to make a decent living. And then you get a small
group of people making problems." Woody said the special training of
C.O.P.S. officers makes them better prepared to handle the everyday problems.
The officers are required to attend 40 hours of C.O.P.S. school. "We have
to take public relations classes, public speaking, a narcotics class, mountain
bike class and a class in stolen autos and carjacking," Woody said.
West Laurel residents can contact Ricker at 301-902-2060.
South Laurel residents can reach Eubanks or Woody at 301-617-0354.
The Beltsville station also has a tip line for residents experiencing problems
in their communities who want to report them anonymously. That number is
301-937-0910.Corso said he welcomes any questions or concerns via e-mail at gacorso@co.pg.md.us.