MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION
Held April 19, 2000
For the purpose of reviewing the Public Safety budget for FY 2001

The meeting began at 8:05 p.m. and was held in the Multipurpose room of the Community Center.

PRESENT WERE: Council members Rodney M. Roberts, Alan Turnbull, Edward V.J. Putens, Thomas X. White and Mayor Judith F. Davis.

STAFF PRESENT WERE: Michael P. McLaughlin, City Manager, David E. Moran, Assistant to the City Manager, Jeffrey Williams, City Treasurer, Cathy Serra, Accountant, Anne Marie Belton, Executive Secretary, Chief Craze, Lt. O’Neil, Lt. Craddock, Lt. Kemp, Sgt. Parker and MPO Craig Rich.

ALSO PRESENT WERE: Randy Krob, Jay Remnick, Sheldon Goldberg, and a reporter from the Gazette.

Jay Remnick of the Greenbelt Volunteer Fire Department began the meeting with a request of $22,000 to have the entire bay area floors refinished. This request was made at last year’s budget work session with the Fire Department and was not approved by Council. Mr. Remnick mentioned that the price has gone up approximately $1,000 from last year’s quote. Mr. Remnick also stated that the fire house renovation project is 95% complete and is expecting to be able to return approximately $50,000 to the Capital Projects Fund from this project.

Chief Craze briefed Council of the recent fox incident that began with a report of a fox in "old Greenbelt" on Sunday morning, April 16. By Monday evening, the fox had been shot and killed. The remains of the fox have been sent to Baltimore County for rabies testing and results of the test are expected on Thursday, April 20. A total of five (5) residents reported being bitten by the fox. Mayor Davis reported that she spoke with a citizen who was pleased with the action taken by the Police department as well as a citizen who felt that more should have been done by the department to get the word out. Lt. Craddock informed Council that a notice was posted on Crimereports.com and anyone who had subscribed to this service was notified immediately via

e-mail.

Chief Craze then gave an overview of the department for 1999. He stated that reported crimes in the City are down a little more than 8%, therefore creating a decrease in arrests. However, auto theft is a big problem in the City. Calls for service are up 35% from 1998. The Chief believes this is due to an increase in community policing. The crime rate in the City is slightly higher than that of Prince George’s County at 7.7% per 1,000. A closer inspection of county jurisdictions showed that municipalities inside the beltway have a higher crime rate than those outside the beltway. He also stated the clearance rate for major crimes remains high at 22%.

Greenbelt residents account for 32% of arrests made in Greenbelt. Mr. Turnbull requested that a comparison of the demographics of Greenbelt arrests be made with those of Prince George’s County.

Mayor Davis then asked why Greenbelt arrests had dropped from 33%. Chief Craze believes that it is due to a high transition period over the past year or so. The department is currently down four (4) police officers. Mr. Putens asked how many vacancies there are for dispatchers. Lt. Kemp reported that currently there are five (5) vacancies. Mayor Davis asked what other jurisdictions are paying their dispatchers. Mr. McLaughlin said he is waiting on a compensation study to be completed and could give the Mayor a better answer after the study is completed. Lt. Kemp also informed Council that to help with the under staffing of dispatchers, he is hiring dispatchers from other jurisdictions to work on a part time basis.

Lt. O’Neil reported on the hiring process within the Police department. Out of a recent pool of 140 applicants for the police cadet and police officer position, 37 took a written test and 21 passed the test. Of the 21 that passed the test, 17 made it to the back ground check, and there are currently 14 in the back ground process. From past experience, only one applicant will be hired from the original 140 applicants.

Mayor Davis inquired on the number of officers who have either a second job or a part time job. She is concerned that these jobs may be taking away from their regular duty with the City. Chief Craze responded by saying that officers working part time jobs are the back up for the officers working regular duty. Mr. Putens asked how many times the officers working part time have been pulled away from their part time jobs to assist an officer on regular duty. The Chief did not have an answer at that time, but will report back to Council with the number of times this has occurred. A report on the take home car program was also requested.

There were several accomplishments for the department in the past year. Chief Craze talked about a few policy issues. He reported that with the hiring of the four (4) COPS officers, the department has been able to pull together the bike patrol. The red light camera program has not moved forward as expected. Chief Craze is in contact with Mike Keely of Howard County who is to send the City a memo of understanding regarding the red light camera program. Mr. Roberts express concern about how the citizens will feel about the cameras. Mr. Putens suggested that a public meeting regarding the cameras be held before their installation. Chief Craze also reported that a few of the neighborhoods have taken an interest in the Speed Watch program. The Lakewood subdivision has requested the use of the radar guns. The department currently has seven (7) radar guns for use.

The video cameras in Roosevelt Center seem to be very beneficial. Calls for service to Roosevelt Center have gone down considerably since they have been in place. To date, there has not been any vandalism or theft of property in the Center.

The Criminal Justice Youth Academy, which began in FY 2000, has been well received by students. More applicants are expected in FY 2001.

Mayor Davis inquired about training within the department. Along with the regular certification training, the department received riot control training in preparation for Y2K. There are also approximately three (3) officers who know sign language, two (2) officers who can speak Spanish, and one (1) officer who can speak Korean. An additional officer received D.A.R.E. training, which is usually taught 2 ½ days a week for one school semester. Lt. Kemp has been nominated to attend the FBI Academy in FY 2001.

Grants were received to assist with DWI checkpoints and child safety seat checks. There have been two (2) DWI checkpoint checks and one (1) child safety seat check.

Mayor Davis requested an age and length of service report of officers.

Mr. McLaughlin noted that the second phase of increasing the deferred compensation plan for police officers has been budgeted at $40,000 in FY 2001. Mr. McLaughlin also noted that there are only seven (7) vehicles budgeted instead of the eight (8) requested by the department as a cost saving measure. Chief Craze commented that there would be a savings of $7,000 if Council would approve the purchase of the seven (7) vehicles for this year. Mr. Putens requested that this be added to the April 24 meeting agenda. Mr. Turnbull requested a vehicle list be placed in the weekend packet.

For FY 2000, estimated transactions in line item 57 include $4,500 to purchase a new canine. However, the purchase will probably not happen in this fiscal year according to Chief Craze. Mayor Davis expressed an interest in purchasing the dog. Mr. McLaughlin stated that if it was Council’s desire to purchase the dog, the monies not spent in FY 2000 would then fall over to the fund balance and the dog could be purchased in FY 2001.

Mr. Turnbull asked what equipment the department rents (line item 43). Included in this line item are: NCIC computer equipment for $12,900, $21,800 for narcotics investigators rental vehicles and $1,500 for miscellaneous items.

The discussion of the Animal Control budget included replacing the animal control vehicle. Mr. McLaughlin said that is was due for replacement this fiscal year, but was not replaced. Chief Craze is working on a plan to determine what should happen with animal control services. At this time, the County is contacted for service when needed. Mr. McLaughlin continued with a brief discussion of the Public Safety items in the Replacement Fund.

In a recent incident involving a Greenbelt resident, Mr. Turnbull asked how the Police department went about serving warrants in and out of the City. Chief Craze informed Council that when a warrant is received for a Greenbelt resident, the department serves the warrant. When a situation arises where a Greenbelt resident has issued a warrant for someone who lives outside of Greenbelt, the warrant is then given to the Sheriff’s department to be served.

Other Business:

Mayor Davis advised Council about a recent public information meeting on mass transit alternatives being considered for around the Beltway.

The meeting ended at 10:08 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Anne Marie Belton

Executive Secretary

City of Greenbelt, Maryland
City Offices, 25 Crescent Road, Greenbelt, MD 20770
Phone: 301-474-8000 FAX: 301-441-8248