Prince George's County Police are looking for 8 year-old Brannon Achimbi from Lewisdale.

Brennan was last seen in the 6600 block of 23rd Place around 2:30 p.m. Monday.

He is 4'1", and weighs 90 pounds. He was last seen wearing a white polo shirt, blue pants, black and white plaid jacket.

Prince George’s County is making it easier for residents to learn about emergencies and severe weather in the area.

A new system is allowing residents to receive emergency notifications and alerts through email, text messages and pages.

The alert system is voluntary but covers emergencies including Amber Alerts, severe weather, school and government delays and closures and emergency preparedness measures. Recipients will get updates and sometimes instructions on where to go and what to do.

Anyone interested in getting the alerts can register at the following website: https://notifyme.princegeorgescountymd.gov.

 

The Fort Washington man arrested for sexual assault and robbery in Bethesda and Wheaton has also been charged in a Jan. 13 rape in Temple Hills, his third attack in a four-day span, Prince George's police say.

Kevin Darnell Ray, 33, of the 12400 block of Gable Lane is charged with first-degree rape, first-degree assault, armed carjacking, first-degree burglary, firearm use in a felony, and reckless endangerment in the Temple Hills incident, for which he was arrested Saturday morning, police said.

A hunter is in the hospital and four of his friends have been charged with multiple counts of illegal hunting after an incident Saturday afternoon just off a major thoroughfare in Prince George's County, Maryland Natural Resources Police reported.

Roy A. Contee, 57, of Upper Marlboro, was charged with negligent hunting, hunting without written permission and hunting with buckshot after he allegedly shot a member of his hunting group in the abdomen and knee, Maryland Natural Resources Police said Sunday.

Ricky L. Johnson, 59, of Clinton, was taken to Prince George's County Hospital for treatment of his wounds, which were not considered life-threatening, the police said.

The five men were hunting just off Indian Head Highway and Oxon Hill Road on land owned by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. Shortly before 2 p.m., as some of the hunters were moving toward the others in an attempt to flush out deer from the underbrush, a deer leapt out and startled the group. Contee fired a shotgun loaded with buckshot, striking Johnson, NRP Sgt. Art Windemuth said.

Prince George's County is expanding its speed camera program -- just a few months after it started.

The county began ticketing with speed cameras in September, and in the first 40 days speeding in school zones where cameras were located was reduced almost 50 percent.

"Believe it or not, after you've gotten a couple of those tickets, you tend to be aware that you're speeding," says Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker.

Baker says the county is regularly adding more speed cameras, and the goal is to have 72 mobile cameras by later this year.

The cameras operate between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and they go off when a car is going at least 12 miles per hour over the posted speed limit.

Non-emergency 911 calls delay real help in Prince George's County

“I hate you, that’s my emergency!”

The woman had called into the Prince Georges County 911 Call Center to rant about nothing in particular. She may have been trying to hurt the operator’s feelings, but she could have been hurting a total stranger in need of real emergency assistance.

“The 9-1-1 number is for emergencies only,” says Charlynn Flaherty, the county’s Assistant Director at the call center. “It’s life and death, you’re having a heart attack, your house is on fire, you’re under immediate threat, there’s a crime in progress.”

Flaherty says that of the 1.2 million calls they receive every year, about 20 percent are either pranks or non-emergencies.

 

There have been 15 police-involved shootings in Prince George's County this year.

Eight people were killed, which equals the number of deadly police shootings in the District, Montgomery and Fairfax counties combined.

Prince George's County officials said they are encountering more violent suspects in the line of duty. In all but two of the 15 police-involved shootings, the suspect was armed.

"That's unusual," said Asst. Chief Kevin Davis. "That should be something [...] that concerns this community."

 

A new law is forcing restaurants and bars across Prince George's County to beef up security.

County officials hope the new restrictions - which take effect Jan. 1 - will help prevent fights outside bars and nightclubs like the ones that led to the closings of the Thirsty Turtle in College Park and Music, Sports & Games in Capitol Heights.

The Prince George’s County Police Department offers these crime prevention tips on its PGPD News Blog to help residents stay safe during the holiday shopping season.

When Shopping:

Prince George's County hazmat crews assisted CSX with a diesel fuel spill caused by a derailment in Bladensburg, Md., Tuesday afternoon.

On a side track, a locomotive struck a derailer, causing the locomotive to flip on its side in an industrial park in the 2900 block of 52nd Avenue.

No injuries were reported, according to the Prince George’s County Fire Department. No evacuations were necessary, and there were no disruptions in commuter rail or vehicle traffic.

Residents of Chelsea Wood and Windsor Green are taking steps to form a better relationship with the police. In fact, they took around two miles of them.

On Saturday November 19, the two communities banded together with the City of Greenbelt and the Prince George’s County police for a walk to establish bonds between the police and the residents.

The Prince George's County Fire/Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Department is partnering with the United State Fire Administration (USFA) to help reduce the instances of cooking fires and injuries. Cooking fires continue to be the most common type of fires experienced by households within Prince George's County and the U.S. This is even more apparent during the holidays. There is an increased incidence of cooking fires on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve Day, and Christmas Day. Cooking fires are also the leading cause of civilian fire injuries in residences. These fires are preventable by simply being more attentive to the use of cooking materials and equipment.
Don’t become a cooking fire casualty. Learn the facts about cooking fire safety today!

The Prince George’s County Fire/Emergency Medical Services Department, Prince George’s County Homeless Education Office, the University of Maryland, and Operation Warm will work together to provide 300 underprivileged children with new winter coats this year.

Three hundred pre-identified public school children will receive a winter coat this year through the Operation Warm program. Staff from the Homeless Education Office have pre-identified the familes in need of these coats and will select the coats at this event and deliver them to the children. This event will be the distribution of new coats to staff to deliver to children at various locations throughout Prince George’s County.

WHAT: Operation Warm – Winter Coat Distribution

WHEN: Wednesday, November 30, 2011, 12:30 pm

WHERE: Branchville Volunteer Fire Department Heroes Hall
4905 Branchville Road, College Park, MD 20740

WHO: Invited guests include elected and community leaders that will join members of the Fire/EMS Department, Public School Officials, and volunteers from the University of Maryland as well as event organizers from Operation Warm.

Washington Gas and Light wants to locate a liquified natural gas plant at its Chillum handling facility in Hyattsville. The potential dangers of such a plant has prompted a number of community organizations in Prince George's to fight back, holding the company's plans at bay. An expert talks to CTV about the issue.

Health officials vow to make changes

Health officials vow to make changes..

Two Maryland Delegates -- Melony Griffith and Derek Davis -- this week revealed plans for their own investigation.

The Virginia State Corporation Commission has indicated previously it would investigate.

...Carl Weimer, the director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, a national advocacy group, added: "Interestingly, we have been increasingly contacted by ex-employees in other areas of the country (New England, Texas, California) with similar claims of downgrading of leaks and reprisals against employees who try to question the downgrading. Really makes me wonder if the story you have written is the tip of a much larger iceberg."

The Prince George's County Council and County Executive Rushern Baker have found little to agree on lately as friction between them intensifies.

Council members and Baker's staff have fought over bills affecting county developments, such as the Cafritz Property in Riverdale, where a Whole Foods is expected to open, and Baker's proposal to overhaul the fire commission, which drew the ire of council members when he was unwilling to back down from the effort.

Baker's staff has stepped away from those plans, but a larger fight looms -- the council has shown no confidence in Baker's choice to head the County's Attorney's Office, Andree Green, who represents both the executive and legislative branches of government.

A controversial plan to restructure the Prince George’s County Fire Commission was put on hold Tuesday to allow for more time to reach a compromise.

The plan, outlined in an executive order and a bill submitted to the council by County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D) last month, would change the role and composition of the commission, which currently has nine members elected by the county’s volunteer stations and controls about $12 million of the county’s fire/EMS budget.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reminds Marylanders that archery hunting for deer is open now through January 31, 2012. Last season hunters took a total of 27,286 deer (9,996 antlered and 17,290 antlerless) with archery equipment.

“Archery hunting is often the most practical deer management strategy for many of urban and suburban areas,” said Brian Eyler, DNR’s Deer Project Leader. “Archery hunters using both vertical bows and crossbows now account for over 25 percent of the total annual deer harvest.”

Deer hunting regulations vary between the two Deer Management Regions in Maryland....

Archers in the Suburban Deer Archery Zone (Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery, and Prince George’s counties), may take an unlimited number of antlerless deer.

In the process, we obtained a surprising internal memo, sent during deliberations over how to address a spike of leaks in Prince George’s County. It reads, “We are NOT planning on an overall leak survey since that could result in finding new leaks” (read the entire memo here).

Last year, 516 Temporary Peace Orders (TPO) were granted in Prince George's County, making it one of the highest locales in Maryland for domestic violence complaints. Overall, 2,636 TPOs were granted in the state in 2010.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and new laws surrounding the issue were passed on Oct. 1. In many instances, they stiffen the penalty for people who violate peace orders and give judges the authority to extend peace orders for six months in applicable cases.

In the state of Maryland, domestic violence is defined as an act that causes serious bodily harm; places a person in fear of imminent serious bodily harm; any degree of assault -- including rape or attempted rape -- and incidences of stalking and false imprisonment.

In the wake of last month's earthquake and Hurricane Irene which resulted in widespread property damage and power outages in the D.C. region, Prince George's County is distributing information about new and existing state programs aimed at providing relief and assistance to victims.

"One of government's greatest responsibilities after a disaster is to help residents recover and rebuild," said County Executive Rushern L. Baker. "A big part of that task is making sure that citizens are aware of the help that is available. I hope that this information will assist the Prince Georgians whose lives have been affected by recent events."

The Maryland Housing Rehabilitation - Single Family (MHR), Accessible Homes for Seniors (AHS) and Indoor Plumbing Program (IPP) are available to assist residents with home repair costs. There is also a voucher program provided by the Maryland Disaster Housing Assistance Program (MDHAP), which provides 90-day renewable emergency rental assistance for people who have been displaced as the result of a natural disaster.

Mike Kress watched the stream behind his Upper Marlboro auto repair shop begin to rise.

It crept up by inches at first, as heavy rains that were destined to flood parts of Prince George’s County began to fall on Sept. 7, so he went to bed. When Kress checked again, at 3 a.m., the water had risen several feet and was on its way to flooding his shop.

Sept. 21 marks the end of the 30-day warning period for Prince George's County's newly installed speed cameras. After that date, the county will issue actual citations when drivers are recorded traveling at least 12 miles per hour above the posted speed limit weekdays, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., in designated school zones.

Heavy rains throughout Prince George’s shut down roads and stranded residents, including residents in one neighborhood who were helped from their homes with bulldozers and inflatable boats, officials said Thursday.

The Prince George's County Administration Building and the county courthouse in Upper Marlboro flooded and were closed, said Scott Peterson, spokesman for Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D). County government is still open and Prince George's County Public Schools opened on time.

As of 5 p.m. Thursday there had been no decision on whether the county buildings would reopen Friday, Scott said.

Water has receded enough to get into the ground floor of the County Administration Building and begin the drying process, he said. A contractor will be on site at 7 a.m. Friday to check on electrical outlets and switches. There was no damage to the courthouse or courthouse annex, Peterson said.

RADAR ESTIMATES 1 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN SINCE 10PM ACROSS THE AREA... WITH STORM TOTALS NOW EXCEEDING 7 INCHES IN SOME SPOTS. ADDITIONAL RAIN OF 1 TO 3 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED.

Firefighters want students at two Prince George's County schools to start learning before they even crack open their books.

The Capitol Heights Volunteer Fire Station is passing out book covers with fire prevention and safety tips to students at Capitol Heights Elementary School and Doswell E. Brooks Elementary School.

"We're targeting the elementary schools because we want to get people at an early age so they can start learning about fire safety early on," Chief James McClelland said.

During the past decade, 85% of all cats brought into the Prince George's County Animal Services Facility (ASF) have been killed. Some of them have been young and could have benefited from a bit of help from a surrogate mom. A few have been mature and would have been perfectly happy to live out their lives sharing a couch, watching Animal Planet, at the side of a loving person. The vast majority of those killed have been healthy and adoptable.

During the single month of June 2011, 970 animals were killed at the ASF. Only 40 of these were documented as requiring euthanasia by a veterinarian.

More than three times as many, 126 of them, were baby kittens.

What does it mean to be a baby kitten at the Prince George's County ASF? Here is a description of what happens, as previously published in the Austin Statesman:

 

Diluted sewage overflows due to Hurricane Irene-related power loss and heavy rains have been stopped at three wastewater-treatment plants in Prince George’s County.

Power has been restored to the Western Branch Wastewater Treatment Plant in Upper Marlboro, as well as the Broad Creek Wastewater Pumping Station in Fort Washington and Piscataway Wastewater Treatment Plant in Accokeek, according to the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission.

Thousands of calls poured in over the weekend as Irene moved through the D.C. Metro region.

Responding to the storm is a lot of work and the emergency calls all funnel through one place in Prince George's County.

...

That number would have been even higher without the special non-emergency hurricane hotline. It was staffed by 911 trainees in an overflow room.

"It probably reduced our call volume by a third and the citizens got the answers they needed," Flaherty says.

Today, U.S. Representative Donna Edwards joined Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker, III at the Hillcrest Heights Community Center, where the County and the American Red Cross have opened a shelter for residents displaced by yesterday’s earthquake. The visit was part of the Prince George’s County Government’s ongoing efforts to respond to yesterday’s events.

“The Prince George’s County government is going to be here for all of our students and all of our residents for as long as it takes to handle the aftermath of this earthquake,” said County Executive Rushern L. Baker, III. “We are going to get displaced residents back in their buildings and students back in their classrooms as quickly as possible, but only after those buildings have been deemed safe and secure. In the meantime, I ask that we, as a community, keep the families affected by this event in our thoughts and prayers, and I thank our agencies, the Red Cross and our citizen volunteers for all they’ve done for our citizens.”

Prince George’s County Public Schools were closed today while buildings were inspected for structural damage and safety.

“The safety of our students, teachers and staff is our number one priority,” said Dr. William R. Hite, Jr., Superintendent of Schools. “We are working as quickly as possible to get the necessary building inspections completed so that school can resume for all students.”

The Prince George's County Council unanimously passed a bill Tuesday to tighten restrictions on teen and adult dance halls throughout the county.

The measure, which was introduced by Councilwoman Karen Toles (D-Dist. 7) of Suitland, increases dance hall license fees from $200 to $1,000, requires dance halls to submit evacuation and safety plans prior to receiving a permit and explicitly prohibits establishments from allowing dancing between 2 and 11 a.m.

“There always has been trouble around that school,” he said. “My impression is that it’s [racial issues] between white and black and Hispanic. This area is what we call the poor side of town.”

The Hyattsville City Council on May 31 gave a slight nod to plans for a new Hyattsville elementary school after months of negotiating with the Prince George’s County school system to rework a number of things on the site, including traffic flow.

Paul Taylor, director of capital programs for Prince George’s County Public Schools brought a revised site plan, which has all school traffic removed from Nicholson Street.

Senior citizens in Prince George’s County say they not only feel safe but also are more likely to stay in the communities they help build, said Michael Asante, planner coordinator for the county Department of Planning.

“Most of them say yes they feel safe, which contradicts the perception that Prince George’s is given,” he said. “The perception is, ‘Hey, in Prince George’s, you better dodge the bullets stepping out of your house.’ And that’s not how seniors here feel.”

Six cooling centers are now open to Prince George's county residents, county officials said in a news release.

The centers will continue to be open on days with CODE ORANGE air quality or temperatures of at least 90 degrees.

Cooling Centers open for Seniors at the following locations: New Carrollton Nutrition Center,..
Camp Springs Senior Activity Center...
for the General Public...

Fairland Sports and Aquatics Center...

Rollingcrest-Chillum Community Center...

Palmer Park Community Center..

Hillcrest Heights Community Center

The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for Prince George's County and much of the region from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Although predicting highs in the mid 90s, NWS warns the heat index values could climb to 100 or 105.

The Prince George’s County Police Department’s Robbery Unit is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying an individual wanted in connection with an attempt armed robbery of the Dodge City Market in District Heights, Maryland.

On May 21, 2011 at approximately 2:15 p.m., a suspect walked into the Dodge City Market located in the 7400 block of Marlboro Pike. Once inside, the suspect approached a store employee, displayed a handgun, and demanded money from the register. Before the victim could react, the suspect abruptly fled the store in an unknown direction. An area canvass was conducted by officers with negative results.

Prince George’s County, Maryland… The Prince George’s County Police will be teaming up with the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office, Parole and Probation, Department of Juvenile Services, area police departments and other County agencies in a multi-dimensional approach to provide a safe environment to our communities during the approaching summer months.

Areas throughout Prince George’s County will receive extra attention during the summer initiative. The Department will focus on preventing crime and will partner with the SAO to provide arrestees and repeat offenders with “wrap-around services” that will include employment opportunities, counseling, and substance abuse support. The SAO will provide enhanced prosecutorial attention and will also assist with dealing with properties that are causing a visual or criminal nuisance and work to limit the impact of businesses that generate a high number of calls-for-service.

The Prince George’s County Police Department’s District II Station celebrated the grand opening of a brand new Community Resource Center located at the Fairwood Shopping Center in Bowie.

Being a parent is intensely rewarding, but also deeply challenging. Parents work to keep their kids safe and healthy while helping them grow into independent, well-adjusted young adults. Alcohol can seem so common and familiar that parents might forget how risky drinking is for young people. Alcohol kills more teens than all other illegal drugs combined. Underage drinking is especially prevalent as students take part in prom after-parties and celebrate their graduation from high school.

Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) is partnering with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in their Power of Parents program. Through funding provided by Nationwide Insurance and in partnership with the National PTA, the NFL, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and the American Association of School Administrators, MADD is sharing information through a workshop and handbook that can help parents substantially reduce the chances of underage drinking.

Prince George’s County firefighters have evacuated nine people from homes as a precaution because of a large natural gas line that ruptured nearby.

Fire department spokesman Mark Brady said Monday the gas line was broken near 22nd Avenue and Amherst Road.

Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III on Friday nominated Acting Police Chief Mark Magaw and six others to head key departments in his fledgling administration, turning to several county government veterans to fill top positions.

Besides Magaw, who grew up in the county and has spent 27 years in the police department, Baker (D) announced that fire department veteran Marc Bashoor is his pick to head the 600-member fire and emergency medical services.

Police in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties are stepping up seat belt enforcement efforts this month.

Both police forces say they’ll be doing checks all month as part of the nationwide “Click it or Ticket” program.

Jolene Ivey, a Maryland state delegate from Prince George’s County and the mother of five boys, founded the organization Mocha Moms to bring black mothers together to support one another in their parenting experiences. Like other mothers, she is concerned that her boys — Alex, 21; David, 18; Julian, 15; Troy, 13; and Aaron, 11 — “reach their full potential, do as well in life as they can, be as happy as they can, make contributions to the world, be good people and grow up in one piece.”

But she is also concerned about some issues that her friends who are white are less likely to face. Ivey and her husband, Glenn, the former two-term state’s attorney in Prince George’s, spent days on pins and needles after one of their sons was accused of a crime he did not commit. Although her son denied wrongdoing and she and her husband confirmed his version of events, authorities cleared him only after a series of text messages proved that he was not the culprit, Ivey said.

A drunken, disorderly student was arrested for disorderly conduct. The controversy was due to it being video-taped and that they had to re-arrest her after she escaped.

A controversial pay raise proposal could force Prince George's County to stop hiring firefighters and police and corrections officers in the next fiscal year, according to a budget memo issued Monday by County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D).

In a list of potential cuts given to council members, Baker's staff warned the county would not be able to hire new recruits for the public safety agencies if the council approves a 2 percent pay raise for employees negotiated by former County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) last year.

The County Council is looking to divide up grant money aimed at offsetting cuts to departments throughout Prince George’s County.

In observance of National Crime Victims' Rights Week (April 10-16, 2011), the Prince George's County Police remembers all victims of crime. We would also like to honor surviving family members of homicide victims.

In 2010, officers of the Prince George's County Police Department received training on the roles and responsibilities of law enforcement regarding Crime Victims' Rights. The agency has significantly expanded its victim services program and now has a victim advocate assigned to each District Station, Criminal Investigations Division and at a walk-in bilingual clinic housed in the Langley Park COPS office.

T-shirts bearing messages of sexual assault survivors were hung outside of Prince George's County Hospital Center yesterday at a county-wide Take Back the Night Event.

The commission that regulates Maryland's utilities has ruled preliminarily that Verizon broke the law by not notifying Montgomery and Prince George's counties that callers were unable to reach 911 on Jan. 26.

"Verizon placed the safety of these county residents in jeopardy," the Public Service Commission stated in a March 25 memo to Verizon.

Verizon issued its response Monday and met with the Public Service Commission Tuesday about 911 problems in Montgomery and Prince George's counties.

The new administration of Prince George's Rushern Baker sent conflicting signals last week about its approach to bicycle and pedestrian safety. Baker endorsed the great work from a few officials on biking and walking, but his transition report recommends shifting their responsibilities to another agency that has repeatedly disregarded bicycling and walking.

Speed cameras will not go up until fall, but Hyattsville City Council voted 7-1 March 7 to create school zones and authorize the speed control program to go forward.

Before any cameras are installed, the city will conduct a traffic study on camera locations to be approved by the council.

"I'm going to support the enabling legislation, but beyond this, it really remains to be seen whether I'll support the program. The devil's in the details I think," said Councilman Timothy Hunt, Ward 3.

The new Prince George's County Sheriff says the county is already making progress this year on reducing domestic violence deaths this year.

"The recent report of the decline of deaths related to domestic violence is important to this community," says Sheriff Melvin High.

He says they've been able to build trust in the county, and he's brought in experts to focus on domestic crimes.

"People are willing to accept this service as an aid to break the cycle of violence rather than doing so and living in danger and in the shadows," says High.

Adelphi-area residents brought concerns about truancy, foreclosures, declining property standards and the overall direction of Prince George's County to top officials.

About 75 members of the Hillandale Gardens, Knollwood and Adelphi-area Civic Association met March 2 with county leaders including County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D) and schools Superintendent William R. Hite Jr.

"We have concerns. We want to know what direction [Baker's] going," said association president Pat Myers.

The sheriff of Prince George's County is adopting a more aggressive approach to maintaining the peace at county schools, following a string of violence recently documented on video.

Sheriff's deputies will be placed at High Point High School -- where an attack on a student last week was documented on YouTube -- and other schools which Sheriff Melvin High would not identify.

"The chief mission that they have is to make sure they are safe schools," High says, adding the additional police presence is only the first step.

More than 50,000 warrants and writs remain unserved by Prince George's County sheriff's deputies, and 642 of them are for suspects accused of serious felonies, officials announced Wednesday.

Prince George's Sheriff Melvin C. High said the number of outstanding warrants is a marked improvement from when he took office and puts the agency "quite literally where I hoped to be in the first 90 days in office." He said deputies still had a lot to do but noted that "getting where you want to be just takes time."

High Point High School Principal Michael Brooks has been removed from his post following accusations that rowdy and violent students have been essentially running amuck and unchallenged for weeks, creating what other students say is a frightening environment that interferes with their ability to learn.

Prince George's County Schools Superintendent Dr. William Hite made the announcement of Brooks' removal in a letter sent home to parents after school Tuesday.

Outraged High Point High students posted disturbing cell phone videos on Facebook and YouTube last Thursday, documenting a brawl on campus that apparently started in the cafeteria.

A Prince George's County firefighter has earned a national award for saving a 4-year-old girl during a Hyattsville apartment fire. The Veterans of Foreign Wars has named Capt. George Flanagan III, a firefighter and medic, as the group's emergency technician of the year for 2010.

A Prince George's County fire and emergency services spokesman said Flanagan is the first member of the department to win the VFW award at the national level.

A year after a teacher was raped and killed at a Prince George's County youth detention center, many of the conditions that contributed to her death still persist, according to the watchdog that monitors the state's juvenile justice system. Those conditions include chronic overcrowding, overburdened staff and a lack of security cameras, a new report by the state's Juvenile Justice Monitoring Unit says.

A 14-year-old boy is charged with sexually assaulting, beating and strangling 65-year-old Hannah Wheeling at the Cheltenham Youth Facility last February. The Department of Juvenile Services says improvements have been made at the facility since then, but the monitoring unit says the reforms don't go far enough.

In Prince George's County, the largest of several wind-driven fires involved about 100 acres of mulch piles. That fire extended two miles up to I-95, which was temporarily shut down.

"We had seven major fires in Prince George's County yesterday. In total, approximately 1,000 acres burned. In addition to the 1,000 acres burned, 12 occupied homes suffered damage," said Acting Fire Chief Marc Bashoor of the Prince George's County Fire Department.

The damage in Prince George's County alone is estimated at two million dollars.

Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker had high praise for the cooperative effort of fire and rescue personnel yesterday. More than 500 people helped, from as far west as West Virginia as well as several counties east of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

Attorneys for Prince George's County on Monday settled a lawsuit brought by Berwyn Heights Mayor Cheye Calvo that accused deputies from a county sheriff's SWAT unit of storming into his home without a proper warrant the day they shot his family's two dogs and held him at gunpoint.

The civil trial was scheduled to begin Monday in Circuit Court in Upper Marlboro.

Calvo said he could not comment on the amount or other details of the settlement, which are being worked out.

However, he did say that the settlement will include reforms in the way county law enforcement officers conduct such operations. The reforms will involve such issues as how and when SWAT teams are deployed and the humane treatment of pets.

The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission lifted the precautionary Boil Water Advisory at 8:45 a.m. for all customers in the affected area in Prince George's County.

Water testing conducted throughout the area since Tuesday indicates there are no signs of harmful bacteria.

One had lost his police powers after he was accused of sending inappropriate text messages to a 19-year-old woman whose criminal complaint he was investigating. The other turned in his gun and badge after he was accused of punching a college student outside a party in Beltsville.

As with many Prince George's County police officers accused of misdeeds, the two were assigned to work in the property warehouse while internal affairs investigators probed their cases. It didn't stop them from getting into more trouble.

Last month, Officers Matthew Inzeo, the accused texter, and Dominique Richardson, the accused puncher, were transferred to the telephone reporting unit, assigned to take reports of misdemeanor crimes for which there is no suspect information, county officials said. The reason for their move: the two were using airsoft and BB guns to shoot at boxes of seized property, they said.

Snow-related power outages in Prince George's County are believed to be linked to four house fires in the county overnight, leaving a woman in critical condition and displacing several families.

In two of the fires, an unattended candle and an unattended fireplace were to blame. Fire officials are still investigating the cause of the other two, but all four were accidental and linked to power outages, said Mark Brady, spokesman for the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department.

A massive water main break in Prince George's County shut down the inner loop of the Capital Beltway for hours Monday morning, forced the closure of a federal agency and required Maryland's suburban water utility to issue a boil-water order for 400,000 customers.

The Capital Beltway's inner loop finally opened two lanes to thousands of stranded commuters early this afternoon, following the 54-inch water main break which leaked several million gallons of water, according to John White, spokesman for the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission.

The break, which exploded just before 4 a.m. today in the 9200 block of East Hampton Road in Capitol Heights, closed down the Beltway between Central Avenue and Richie Marlboro Road for hours — halting Prince George's commuter traffic for several hours. By 2 p.m., it remained unclear how or why the break occurred.

"Basically, we are dealing with an emergency situation right now, and the investigation as to how this happened will have to wait," White said today. "We don't know if it's because (of) the cold."

To make matters worse, because the 40-year-old main burst when District-area temperatures reached a low around 18 degrees, the several million gallons turned to ice on the roadways, making driving a treacherous and fatal endeavor. State Highway crews turned out with hundreds of pounds of salt to coat the area, SHA spokeswoman Sarah Mettil said.

YouTube - DC SPOTLIGHT - PART 1 - Prince George's County Sgt. Floyd Tate talks to Wendy Thompson of the DC Spotlight about life as a cop in Maryland's most dangerous district.

The year is only 10 days old, and already nine families are planning funerals in Prince George's County.

As they develop a new action plan, officials in the county are turning to those not in uniform to help stay the string of murders mostly inside the Capital Beltway.

Prince George's County Police will meet with community groups and business leaders in all police districts this week.

"This will be a concerted, sustained effort that will include the PGPD, Office of the Sheriff, municipal police departments, federal agencies and community and business leaders," says acting Police Chief Mark Magaw, according to a police release.

"Together, we are a formidable force that will bring calm to all segments of our County."

A series of shootings and a stabbing that killed five in one week are likely part of a drug nexus in Prince George's County, police said Wednesday.

A majority of the homicides were carried out against people who were targeted, Interim County Police Chief Mark Magaw said at a press conference. He added that all county departments were focused on finding those responsible in the killing spree that started Saturday across the southern part of the county.

"This department is totally focused on the homicide," he said. "These homicides do not appear to be random acts."

Angela Alsobrooks heard a consistent message as she crossed Prince George's County during her campaign for the state's attorney's office: We want you to deal with violent offenders, but what we really care about are car break-ins, vandalism and burglaries.

Now Alsobrooks, who is to be sworn into the post Monday, says she will increase the office's emphasis on such crimes, which affect thousands of residents for whom gangs, the drug trade and violent crime may seem distant.

A College Park roadway has been dedicated in honor of a Prince George's County police officer who was killed this year while on duty.

Officer 1st Class Thomas P. Jensen died in March from injuries he suffered in a car crash while responding to an emergency call. County officials dedicated the 9000 block of Baltimore Avenue, near the crash site, to Jensen last week.

The street sign with his name recognizes "the dedicated service and ultimate sacrifice that Tommy Jensen made," Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown said in a statement.

Former Mineral County Office of Emergency Management director Marc Bashoor has been named acting chief of the Fire/Emergency Medical Services Department of Prince George's County, Md.

Bashoor, who's last day as OEM director in Mineral County was Friday, Dec. 3, is returning home, as he had retired from the Prince George's County Fire and EMS after 23 years of service prior to coming to Mineral County.
When he resigned, Bashoor said he could not divulge where he was going, but called the move "a challenge and an opportunity that is the right time for my family and I to pursue."
Announcement of Bashoor's appointment was made Monday by Rushern L. Baker III, Prince George's county executive.

In the three weeks since Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson was handcuffed by federal agents, plenty of tongues have wagged and plenty of ink has been spilled about the county's dirty politicians.

Less often mentioned: its dirty cops.

Sadly, law enforcement wrongdoing has long been par for the course in Prince George's, with its long history of police corruption and brutality. So when the feds fingered three county cops on extortion, drug and gun charges, you might forgive the good people of Prince George's for reacting with something less than shock and outrage.

And so while incoming county executive Rushern L. Baker ran on a platform emphasizing jobs, economic development, and education, it's clear that after his inauguration Monday, the county's law enforcement still demands his attention.

Burglaries are down in Hyattsville, following the arrest of a man Hyattsville police report is connected with several local break-ins.

"The magnitude of the burglaries has dropped significantly," Sgt. Chris Purvis said. "There's a few random ones that we don't think are related."

Governor Martin O'Malley announced new safety and community improvement initiatives in Prince George's County: the approval of $4 million in design funds will be used to work on the Maryland Route 450 Bladensburg Community Safety and Enhancement Project. The $4 million design project will begin immediately on new roadway safety improvements along Maryland Route 450 between Kenilworth Avenue and 54th Street.

If you're a renter and get a bedbug infestation, one of the first questions you'll ask is: Do I have to take care of extermination, or is that the landlord's responsibility?

National journalism groups have weighed in at the Court of Appeals in a high-profile dispute over whether the Maryland State Police should turn over to the Maryland NAACP files showing how the agency handled five years' worth of complaints of racial profiling in traffic stops.

The NAACP's effort to see the internal police documents has drawn a brief from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, joined by the Society of Professional Journalists. The national NAACP had also filed a brief in support of the state NAACP.

Sixty-four new officers have joined the Prince George's County police force.

The new police officers, along with three officers who are joining the Baltimore City Schools Police, graduated this month from the police academy.

The academy takes about six to seven months to complete, Cpl. Henry Tippett, a police spokesman, said.

Prince Georges County State's Attorney Glen Ivey went to Annapolis in March to petition for change to Maryland's vehicular manslaughter laws.

"One of the toughest parts of our jobs is having to explain to families why the killer in the car is going to be able to walk away, or in some cases drive away, with nothing more than traffic tickets," he said.

Shane Farthing, of the Washington Area Bicyclists Association, emphasized that drivers are handling potentially lethal machines.

"It is your responsibility," he said. "If you hit someone, the fact that you didn't see them is not an excuse."

My wife and I went to testify for the bill's passage this past spring, and Joe walked out on our testimony. He ignored the pleas of state troopers and the state's attorneys. Afterward, I met separately with Vallario, and he gave no reason other than that he doesn't believe there should be a bill like this.

He didn't care that the speeders/killers went unpunished, or that the members of his committee didn't have an opportunity to vote for their constituencies.

Joe Vallario needs to step down from this very important position and hand the reins over to someone who believes in the democratic process and who cares about the safety of Maryland citizens.

Angela Alsobrooks, who is almost certain to be the next state's attorney in Prince George's County, said her most ambitious goal as the county's top law-enforcement official would be to replicate a high-profile California program designed to break the cycle of crime. She also pledged to actively court community involvement.

The Silver Hill and Morningside fire departments were among the busiest stations nationwide in 2009, according to a new survey released in August by Firehouse Magazine, an industry publication.

The Silver Hill station was ranked the 10th busiest in the U.S., and the Morningside station was the 14th busiest when it came to heavy rescue operations, such as pulling drivers out of overturned cars or other rescue operations that require more than the usual amount of equipment, according to the magazine's 29th annual survey. The magazine collected data from 287 jurisdictions in 47 states, the District of Columbia and six Canadian provinces that chose to take part in the survey this year. Prince George's County and Baltimore city were the only jurisdictions in Maryland to participate.

St. Joseph Fire/Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Station 806, located at 2901 St. Joseph Drive in Largo, Maryland, opened on August 29, 2010. Our newest facility is a state-of-the-art facility, which will provide a functional and safe work environment for our firefighters and paramedics, as well as bath, shower, and locker facilities to accommodate our increasing number of female personnel.

The Prince George's County Police Department's Special Investigations Division, Gang Unit Investigators, urges the use of and reminds residents of the Gang Tip Line. Information received from the tip line has greatly assisted investigative efforts in combating gang violence and criminal activity. The tip line has both toll-free and local numbers to help with information pertaining to gang activities.

Callers have the option of remaining anonymous or leaving their contact information for follow-up by investigators. The nationwide toll-free number for the tip line is 1-877-629-GANG (4264) and the local number is 301-985-5365. Both numbers are operational and bilingual (English and Spanish).

The Prince George's County Police Department will be partnering with the Adele H. Stamp Student Union - Center for Campus Life, University of Maryland Police, and the Student Government Association in the CRIME TIME - Get Home Safely Initiative.

The Prince George's County Police Department's Robbery Unit is seeking the public's assistance in identifying an individual wanted in connection with the armed robbery of a Game Stop.

On August 23, 2010 at 6:40 p.m., the suspect walked into the Game Stop located in the 14200 block of Baltimore Avenue in Laurel, Maryland posing as a customer. The suspect approached the registers and displayed a handgun.

Landover man linked to Parole robbery, six in Prince George's

"He said he did the one in Anne Arundel County because he went into a bank in Prince George's County and saw a wanted poster of himself in the bank," he said. "… He admitted to everything and was very cooperative … and said he only did it because of financial reasons."

Roberts has no criminal record.

The CDC is working closely with state and local health departments, the FDA and the American Association of Poison Control Centers to ensure that we can quickly identify and respond to any potential seafood contamination. However, if you identify a cluster of persons with gastrointestinal illness that may be associated with exposure to oil contaminated seafood, we ask you to:

* investigate the cluster as you would normally investigate a cluster of illness,
* make sure your local and state health department are aware of the situation, and
* notify CDC if a food borne outbreak associated with contaminated seafood is identified.

From fiscal 2009 through fiscal 2010, 243 Prince George's police officers reached 20 years of service, making them eligible to retire and immediately start receiving full benefits. That means that more than 16 percent of the force has the option to walk away from the job and receive -- at a minimum -- 60 percent of their highest two-year salary, plus health care, for life.

It's a major concern of union officials and top police commanders, who fear that the same lucrative retirement package that lures officers to the department might entice them to leave. After 20 years, a police union official said, there is "very little in the way of incentive" for anyone to stay. Although officers are eligible to receive an additional 2.5 percent of their salary for each year they stay beyond 20 -- maxing out at 85 percent -- many find it more lucrative to just get another job, authorities said.

There were 3,400 without power in Fairmount Heights and more than 2,000 in the Temple Hills area, according to PEPCO's outage map. Most of the rest of the outages were spread from Chillum to Langley Park in the northern part of the county.

BGE reported that only 31 of its customers were without power at 9:30 a.m., most of those located in the New Carrollton area.

SMECO reported that Brandywine was hit hardest of its customers, with 1,689 without power at 10:30 a.m. The company had another 179 without power in the 20608 and 20772 zip codes..

County EMS says residents should be aware of heat-related symptoms.

With more than 40 days this summer reaching 90-plus degrees, the number of heat-related health calls have increased for emergency services across the county.

Mark Brady, spokesman for the Prince George's County Fire/EMS chief, said when temperatures reach 92 degrees or more, the number of calls increase by 10 percent to 15 percent....

He said many people complain of headaches, difficulty breathing and diziness.

"People need to stay somewhere cool," Brady said. "If they start feeling those symptoms, it means they need to get inside, start cooling down and drink water."

Sheriff's records indicate deputies in Prince George's County, Md., have shot 10 domestic dogs in nine incidents since 2005, and one politician in the county said that's a pattern of excessive force that should be addressed.

Two years ago, Berwyn Heights Mayor Cheye Calvo's pair of Labradors were shot and killed by sheriff's deputies during a controversial raid on his house. Calvo is suing Sheriff Michael A. Jackson.

The Cheltenham Youth Facility was the most overcrowded of Maryland's four largest youth detention sites between April and June, according to a new report from the watchdog group that monitors the state's Department of Juvenile Services.

The report, released Monday by the Maryland Attorney General's Juvenile Justice Monitoring Unit, warns that, in general, overcrowding creates a potentially unsafe environment for both the youths and staff....

The monitoring unit's first and second quarterly reports do not reference the slaying, but Director Marlana Valdez said her office has been investigating the incident and plans to release a special report in September.

Upper Marlboro residents and Prince George's County police celebrated a year of double-digit drops in violent and property crimes in policing District 2 during this year's National Night Out celebration.

Prince George's County Police Chief Roberto L. Hylton, joined by County Executive Jack B. Johnson, announced at a press conference today that crime in Prince George's County continues to show a downward trend as a direct result of the successful joint efforts between the community, police department, and the media.

Chief Hylton began by stating that since the beginning of the year, the department has continued to display an overall reduction in crime, with violent crime down 11.7% and property crime down by 5.3% versus the same period for 2009. In the category on violent crimes, Chief Hylton reported homicides were down 14.0% and rapes were down by 10.8%. Robberies have shown an overall decrease of 18.3%.

The number of power outages across the Washington region declined sharply overnight. Pepco's tally dropped from about 75,000 Tuesday night to about 31,300 Wednesday, with roughly ... 4,800 in Prince George's County... are now both back within normal range.

Pepco says customers without power can get estimates on repair times at 877-737-2662.

Imagine that your area's gas utility announces that your neighborhood has been chosen as the site of a huge facility to process and store liquefied natural gas (LNG).

This is exactly what happened to Imani Kazana and her neighbors in Hyattsville, Maryland communities about five years ago. The company, Washington Gas Company (WGC), has proposed the facility to convert pipe-delivered methane into LNG. The proposed storage plant would hold one billion cubic feet of LNG. More than 3,000 people live within 2,000 feet of the site – located two blocks from a nursing home, and a few miles from the University of Maryland's main campus at College Park with 37,000 students. But it's also happening to many other communities across the country.

The choice facing the Public Service Commission is shown below: a residential neighborhood intact or a risky LNG facility with many adverse consequences for the Chillum communities future.

A Prince George's County fire spokesman says a severe storm toppled a tree onto a minivan, killing a woman in Beltsville....

A Baltimore Gas & Electric spokesman says storms have knocked out power to about 74,000 customers.

BGE spokesman Rob Gould says Anne Arundel County was the hardest hit with about 39,000 outages, followed by Prince George's County, where 17,000 lost power.

The Prince George's County Police Gang Tip Line is now fully operational. The tip line will be monitored by Prince George's County Police Gang Investigators. Vital intelligence received on the tip line will be disseminated accordingly. Callers will have the option of remaining anonymous or leaving contact information so that a Gang Investigator can contact them. The nationwide toll free phone number for the tip line is 1-877-629-4264 (GANG) and the local number is 301-985-5365. Both numbers are operational and bilingual (English and Spanish). These numbers may be given out to the community.