A downward spiral that began when the Montgomery County Council made a modest effort to "defund the police" in 2021 by cutting 30 positions picked up speed on November 1, 2023, when the Montgomery County Police Department announced it would no longer respond to 911 calls in the municipalities of Rockville and Gaithersburg, unless their respective City police departments had no units available or needed backup assistance. The pull-out was due to a shortage of officers, which is forecast to grow to 239 vacancies by July 2025. Montgomery County currently has 176 police officer vacancies, as former County Council staff member Adam Pagnucco reported last fall. Rockville residents concerned about the greater responsibility now being shouldered by its municipal police officers plan to press the Mayor and Council to boost funding for the Rockville City Police Department outside of City Hall tonight, March 18, 2024 at 6:45 PM.
Residents want to "let the City Council know that public safety, funding and support for the Rockville Police Department is important, especially given the increasing crime throughout Rockville and the County, as a whole," rally organizer Brigitta Mullican said in a press release about tonight's effort. The Mayor and Council will be holding a hearing on the city's FY-2025 budget during their meeting tonight.
Last month, Rockville City Police Chief Victor Brito told the Mayor and Council that his department is now handling 88% of emergency calls within the city limits. That's up from 71% in 2018. Mullican said that she will be testifying during tonight's public hearing for an increase in police funding and salaries.
Recruitment has become a challenge nationwide, as officers in many jurisdictions where elected officials have disparaged or criticized police - including Montgomery County - have either retired early, or moved to other departments around the region or country that are perceived as being more supportive of police officers. The competition for the reduced number of people choosing to enter the law enforcement field has become intense as a result. Rockville must remain competitive with officer salaries and benefits to attract enough officers to handle its increased responsibilities.
Brito's presentation last month showed the impact of the City's greater call load - exacerbated by a persistent crime wave in the County since 2020 - on officer response time. He noted the national statistics that indicate that for every additional 1000 emergency calls, another 9 minutes are added to response time, on average.
Participants in tonight's rally outside City Hall, located at 111 Maryland Avenue, are asked to bring signs showing support for Rockville City police. A group photo will be taken to show the size of support from residents for City officers.
More police are needed everywhere in Rockville and Montgomery County, and everywhere else.
ReplyDeleteYour point?
DeleteWe need dispatchers that are not proud and slow typers. A perp can walk blocks in the time you convey info and they process it. ON TV SHOWS they do better...
ReplyDeleteI agree the first contact with the Police Department is critical in getting help. Our City Police Chief needs to make this a priority. The dispatcher is a position in the RPD.
DeleteBrigitta Mullican March 18, 2024
ReplyDeleteRockville, MD 20851 (Resident since 1965)
Testimony to Rockville Mayor and Council on the Public Hearing for the 2025 Budget Presentation #2.
This testimony is to request that you keep our community safe and make safety the biggest priority. Ensuring public safety is one of the primary reasons for local government. Additionally, I understand that the County has dropped police services to the City of Rockville and now there is a need to make up the difference. Moreover, the City of Rockville and Montgomery County are experiencing a surge in crime. It is a national problem that is getting worse each day. This is not the time to cut back on public safety. The taxpayers expect to get something for the taxes paid. I am very concerned about my safety since I heard the FBI Director warn of a wide array of dangerous threats. This is an issue our Rockville Police Department needs to be aware of.
As our City elected official, you need to make sure our police officers are given the funding and support necessary to perform their oath of office. We also do not need to have our police officers' hands tied.
Please make sure that the 2025 Rockville City Budget includes the required officers and salary increases for the Rockville Police Department. We need to be commensurate with other jurisdictions in salaries to maintain what we have. Please ensure we can recruit and retain the best and brightest officers. The Rockville Police Department budget needs an increase with a reasonable salary and additional officers to make us Rockville taxpayers feel you are
making this a priority over other programs.
Thank you for serving our community and please keep our taxes and fees reasonable.
if WE HAD MORE BRIGITTA S WE WOULD HAVE A WONDERFUL CITY COUNTY STATE AND COUNTRY AND ...PLANET
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