The Washington Informer: Regional

We had more police officers shot at than ever before.”

In 2005, Prince George’s County had 173 homicides - up 14 percent from 2004. Additionally, sexual assaults increased by three percent, robberies by 24 percent and carjackings by 45 percent from the previous year.

Residents expressed great concern about the future of the county. There were many who had homes broken into and cars stolen. Others asked about additional concerns that effect Prince George ’s county such as truancy and weapons in the schools systems.

The "War on Crime" county-wide town hall meeting, which was the first of its kind in the county, was organized by Clergy United, along with the Greater Prince George's Business Roundtable.

"Crime is the issue," said Rev. C. Anthony Muse of Ark of Safety Christian Church and Head of Clergy United. “We’re here to declare war on crime. We are here to make a difference.” Muse challenged residents to take a stance like one from the movie Network by pronouncing, “I am mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.”

“Where is the judiciary at this meeting? If you’re going to talk about crime, I think they need to be here,” said Council Chairman Tom Dernoga (D-Laurel), a guest panelist.

Several judges were invited to the meeting but didn’t show. Also not in attendance were County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D), Police Chief Melvin C. High and Sheriff Michael Jackson.

Sharon Taylor, speaking on behalf of the county police, stated that Johnson and High had prior commitments they could not break. High sent Police Inspector General Mark K. Spencer to represent the department. Johnson did not have a representative. It was announced that Jackson was en route but he never showed.

“I think the police chief and the county executive should have been here,” said Cheryl S. Haile, a resident of Perrywood. “We support them, but we need to know that they’re going to be here and show us that they mean business.”

Those in attendance included: Glenn Ivy, States Attorney; Beatrice P. Tignor, chairman of the school board; Del. Joseph F. Vallario Jr. (D-Prince George's); Sen. Ulysses Currie (D- District 25); and former county executive Wayne K. Curry.

Many of the questions asked by the audience dealt with reducing crime and the plan for 2006.

“We have a crime-fighting plan, which includes hiring 150 new officers every year for the next six years. This mass hiring plan gives the police great flexibility to place officers in the right spots, making sure we are more visible,” said Spencer.

Another huge area of concern was car theft. More cars are stolen in Prince George's than any other county in the state. Ivy suggests putting kids in jail at least for weekend stays the first time they are caught stealing a car. However, judges are resistant to doing so because of overcrowded youth facilities and the structure of the current laws. Current laws are written so that it is hard to get grand theft auto charges to stick if the suspect is not caught stealing the car.

“We are working with the Judges to change this,” Ivy said.

Tignor said the school board has requested more peer mediators in schools and has revised the student code of conduct, which now includes behavior on school buses. It was also suggested that many teachers are choosing not to come to Maryland because according to the National Education Society, Maryland teacher’s penchant plans were next to last in the nation receiving only a 38 percent split, which is pennies compared to boarder state Pennsylvania which has a rate of 78 percent. She also said they would ask for more cameras in the next budget.

Spencer said police will be assigned to every middle and high school for the mornings and they will lock up any student that brings a weapon to school. He also highlighted a growing gang problem and the need for more witness cooperation.

Ivy said there are two sets of problems when it comes to witnesses coming forth. “First we have to convince the Latino community that they can report a crime without being deported,” he said. The other problem, he said, is the “don’t snitch” credo in the African American community. Ivy told a story of a recent murder case in which the suspect being tried for murder said he didn’t shoot the victim when he saw him in Georgetown. Instead, he decided to shoot him when he returned to Anacostia because no one would say anything.

The organizers of Saturday’s event have scheduled a follow-up meeting for Feb. 25, challenging county officials and residents to clear their schedules to attend.

"We need to come together to take care of this problem,” Muse said. “We have to hold people accountable. We need to have a plan that comes from us and our elected officials and we also need volunteers. This is the beginning of a citizen movement."