Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Join county leaders to discuss 'what's realistic, what's not' in terms of student security in the wake of school shootings in other areas.
County residents are invited to participate in a panel discussion surrounding Montgomery County Public Schools safety and security on Wednesday at a community action forum. Organized by the Montgomery County Council of PTAs, Wednesday’s community forum will focus on community discussion of the county’s emergency preparedness and security. Since the December shooting that killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, county parents and leaders have spoken out about school safety concerns in Montgomery County. Ranking representatives from across Montgomery County government will answer questions, including Montgomery County Police Chief Tom Manger, MCPS Deputy Superintendent Beth Schiavino-Narvaez, the …
Friday, January 4, 2013
A school safety meeting is scheduled for Jan. 16.
How much security is the right amount of security for Montgomery County’s public school students? Following the shock of December’s tragic shootings in Newtown, CT, parents and family members of students at Bradley Hills Elementary in Bethesda have written to county leaders asking for security improvements at the elementary school’s temporary location, according to a Wednesday Gazette report. Students and teachers at Bradley Hills currently are housed at the Radnor Center, while the school undergoes modernization, scheduled for completion in August. “Our school has no security system in place and our front door remains unlocked throughout the school day with no mechanism for screening visitors,” parents wrote, according to the report. …
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
The opportunity for robberies, burglaries and thefts from vehicles increase during the holidays, police say.
As holidays approach, Montgomery County police warn residents to be extra vigilant for robberies, burglaries and thefts from vehicles. According to a police statement, the opportunity for these incidents increase during the holidays. In addition to the police department’s yearly “Shop with a Cop” campaign, Montgomery County police have released the following safety tips: When shopping: When out walking: At home:
Thursday, November 8, 2012
County police and fire/rescue personnel return from week helping Sandy victims in New York, where the situation was described as "Katrina-esque."
On Tuesday afternoon, while Montgomery County and the rest of the nation were paying attention to Election Day, 80 Montgomery County fire/rescue and police personnel unceremoniously returned home from spending an exhausting week assisting Hurricane Sandy victims in New York. The Maryland Task Force 1, made up of local medical workers, rescue experts, engineers and dog handlers with search canines, was assembled Sunday afternoon, Oct. 28, and dispatched to Fort Dix, NJ, to await orders, according to Montgomery County Assistant Chief Scott Graham. From there it was a long week of search and rescue and humanitarian relief that Graham says was similar to the situation in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. “I’ve been on the task force since …
Thursday, October 18, 2012
The award was among $6.3 million given to Maryland's state and local governments by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Montgomery County has been awarded $159,701 in federal funding earmarked for violent crime reduction and other public safety activities, Sens. Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin announced Thursday. The U.S. Department of Justice grant is one in a $6.3 million bundle given to the state, county, and local governments of Maryland. The county's share will be used to install a system that can deliver video intelligence wirelessly to commanders and operational personnel in an emergency and to develop the capability to share that data with other law enforcement agencies. The grant funding is based on a formula of population and violent crime statistics. Money from the program is used to pay for law enforcement, prosecutions, education, drug …
Monday, October 1, 2012
The newly renovated Montgomery County public safety headquarters revealed.
After two years and more than $20 million in renovations, Montgomery County police have almost fully moved into the new public safety headquarters at 100 Edison Park Dr., a building formerly occupied by the National Geographic Society headquarters. The $108.5-million headquarters project brings the Montgomery County Police Department headquarters, the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, the Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security, the First District Police Station and parts of the transportation department under one 408,000-square-foot roof. The building also houses the police crime lab and the forensic division on the top floor in a state-of-the-art facility. From traditional finger printing to full DNA analysis, Montgomery …
New law goes into effect today.
Starting Oct. 1, drivers who don’t make a full stop at any non-functioning traffic light could be fined up to $130. By law, drivers approaching a nonfunctioning traffic signal from any direction now are required to stop at a clearly marked stop line, before entering any crosswalk or before entering the intersection. After stopping, the driver must yield to vehicles and pedestrians in the intersection, and must remain stopped until the intersection is safe to enter. Violators will be fined $90 and two points if the offense does not contribute to an accident. If the violation contributes to a crash, the fine is $130 and three points. Drivers are reminded that lights flashing yellow may not be out of order. Existing laws require drivers to …
Friday, September 28, 2012
A Maryland law that takes effect Oct. 1 still requires kids younger than 8 to be in a safety seat, unless they are 4 feet, 9 inches or taller.
A new child safety seat law will go into effect Oct. 1 that removes the weight exemption for children who are more than 65 pounds, according to Maryland State Police. The state law still requires that children use car seats until they turn 8 years old, unless they are 4 feet, 9 inches or taller. The law is a primary enforcement law, which means drivers can be detained and cited for violating the seat belt law. The fine is $50 for each child in the vehicle who is not properly restrained. The fine also applies to children ages 8 to 16, who are still required to wear a seat belt. "A child safety seat is a device—including a child booster seat—which the manufacturer has certified as being made in agreement with federal safety standards and …
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Police officials need your help to identify a suspect.
Montgomery County police are investigating a string of daytime burglaries between Sept. 10 and Sept. 18. In an initial investigation shows that residents living in high-rise apartments were targeted as they came home and residents in garden-style apartments were entered through rear doors or windows, according to police officials. The incidents occurred on the 1200 block of Fidler Lane, 800 block of Juniper Street (three incidents), 1200 block of East West Highway, 7700 block of Blair Road, 8300 block of Colesville Road, and 8700 block of Georgia Avenue. The suspect is being described as a black male between 20 to 30-years-old, standing 5-feet 7-inches to-5-feet 9-inches tall, and weighing about 150-160 pounds. Detectives are asking …
Thursday, September 13, 2012
The 23-year-old man was arrested after a SWAT standoff in January.
A man arrested after a SWAT standoff in Kensington earlier this year faces a court date in late November on nine other charges, according to court documents. In June, Brendan Patrick Orr, 24, received nine charges after a traffic stop in Prince George’s County. Charging documents allege that Orr was driving under the influence of alcohol and was impaired by a controlled dangerous substance. They accuse him of failing to drive on the highway, driving with an obstructed windshield view and displaying a county sticker on the owner’s license plate other than the owner’s county of residence. These charges aren't related to the robbery in January. The fines associated with the charges total about $400, according to charging documents. In early…
Frank
12:08 am on Friday, January 18, 2013
Yeah, let's all arm kindergartners with M-60s. That will solve our problems. more ›