MEMORANDUM

TO: City Council

FROM: David J. Deutsch, City Manager

SUBJECT: Police Department Discussion

DATE: October 7, 2004

City Council will focus on the prospect of a city police department at the October 11th Worksession. There are a number of issues Council may want to consider in following up on the Strategic Planning discussion of the subject on September 16th:

A. CRIME STATISTICS IN BOWIE. Staff has compiled crime data from the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) for the period of 1990 to 2003 (see attached). Also attached is specific UCR crime data for 2001-2003 which will allow for comparisons with other comparable jurisdictions. Generally, the UCR information shows lower crime numbers than the information presented by District II because of changes in categorizations as a result of investigations about crimes. The UCR is the official report of crime in all jurisdictions. It is compiled by the State, based on data submitted by local jurisdictions. The crime rate, expressed as crimes per 100,000 population, is a key indicator of community safety. The rate for the 4-year period of 2000-2003 was an average of 2358, or 2358 crimes per 100,000 residents.

B. CRIME STATISTICS IN OTHER NEARBY CITIES. The 2003 crime index figure for Bowie can be compared with crime rates in other area jurisdictions:

1. Bowie 2,389
2. College Park 7,043
3. Gaithersburg 4,804
4. Greenbelt 7,608
5. Laurel 6,611
6. Rockville 3,644

C. POLICE STAFFING AT DISTRICT II. The attached letter from Prince George’s County Police Chief Melvin High restates the promise the Chief made at Council’s September 27th Worksession to double the patrol force within the City limits by mid-2005.

D. POLICE RESPONSE TIMES. Most observers would agree that response times by the Prince George’s County Police Department in Bowie are significantly beyond the range of acceptability. It is impossible to speculate about the impact on response times of the additional officers promised by Chief High.

E. POLICE PRESENCE/PERCEPTION OF SAFETY. This is a difficult aspect to gauge. Clearly with the current staffing level from the County Police in Bowie a perception has developed among some residents that the apparent lack of police presence leads to a diminished feeling of security. How might public perception change when the additional staffing promised by Chief High is deployed?

F. DATA NEEDED BY CITY COUNCIL. There has been talk among some Councilmembers about a consultant study to validate the need for a police department. Public Administration Service (PAS) could be asked to update their 2000 report, but the most relevant data is the UCR information. UCR data is cited earlier, and the documents are attached for your review. Also, because of the difficulty of obtaining accurate and comprehensive data from the Prince George’s Police Department, any consultant’s analysis is limited by the lack of data available to analyze.

There was also discussion about a citizen survey regarding police and security matters. What would we be trying to accomplish here? Isn’t an advisory question (referendum) the “real” survey of voter preference? Would the issue be “off the table” and even be considered appropriate for an advisory question (referendum) if a majority of survey respondents indicated a lack of support for a local police department?

G. ADVISORY QUESTION/REFERENDUM. If the Council decides to place an advisory question on the November 2005 ballot, there are a number of details that must be resolved. There will need to be an agreement on the estimated cost of a department. The report provided in July 2003 will need to be refined. The scope of the department and the number of officers will need to be addressed.

CONCLUSION

City Council needs to determine what information is needed in order to decide whether to place an advisory question on the November 2005 ballot. Once it is determined what information Council needs, it can be decided whether City staff or a consultant is best able to provide this information.

Some of the information that Council needs, such as UCR reports, is already available. Because of limitations in the availability of data from Prince George’s County, it may be difficult to provide all data necessary to make a decision.

Council should also establish a timetable for gathering necessary data and making a decision as to whether to add an advisory question to the ballot. Sufficient time should be allocated to allow for community discussions and forums on this issue should it be decided to include this item as a referendum question.

DJD/asf

Attachments:
Bowie Crime Data 1990 - 2003
Letter from Police Chief Melvin High
Uniform Crime Report - 2001
Uniform Crime Report - 2002
Uniform Crime Report - 2003