Residents Concerned Speed Camera in Wrong Place to Stop Speeders

Video report from ABC7 News at 6 (October 31, 2018)

• “While we celebrate the community-wide effort that made today’s dedication possible, we must never forget, not for even a moment, the lives lost and lives forever changed because of the crashes on this highway,” said Rev. Dr.  Robert Screen, Chairperson of the 210 Safety Committee. “As a man of faith, I look at today’s camera dedication this way. It is a sentinel for enforcement, a reminder of our mortality and an inspiring hope for the future.”
• “The lives of the many people who have died in crashes on Indian Head Highway have not been in vain,” said Ron Weiss, Vice President, Indian Head Highway Area Action Council (IHHAAC). “The south county community is partnering with our government to transform the ‘Highway of Death’ into the ‘Highway of Life.’ Together, we are improving the roadway, driving safer cars, and now we are learning to improve our driving through enforcement and education. We will model better driving decisions to our children and they will remind us when we fall short. Kind and responsible driving will get everyone home safely.” 
• A local bill is planned to provide flexibility in the camera location within "safety corridors".

Police Thanksgiving Dinner - Nov 15

These pictures are from last year's Police Thanksgiving Dinner

Dear Neighbors,

To express our thanks to the guardians of our community, the District VII Citizens Advisory Council is once again sponsoring a Thanksgiving appreciation meal for the police officers at District VII on November 15th.
We very much appreciate Bennett Caterers (2nd floor of the Long and Foster building) for providing garden salad, roasted beef brisket, grilled chicken, roasted potatoes, green beans and rolls. Susan Gage Caterers is providing their signature heart-shaped brownies to show the force how much they appreciate their commitment to the community. Goodies Frozen Custard will be there too.
Our community was very generous in providing support to this event last year and I am again reaching out to you for tax deductible donations of ready to serve:

• Appetizers
• Turkey/ham/stuffing/gravy
• Chicken wings
• Mac & cheese
• Pie (sweet potato, pumpkin, apple)
• Apple cider
• Disposable plates, knives, forks, cups, and napkins
• Cash donation (Please make checks out to District VII Citizens Advisory Council and send them to Treasurer (Ron Weiss) at 12511 Haxall Ct., Fort Washington, MD 20744.

I’ll provide our 501 (c) (3) EIN to you at your request.
Thank you for supporting our police.
Ron Weiss (weissster@gmail.com)

Reward Offered in Suitland Parkway Shooting Death

How Closed Doors Can Provide Life-Saving Seconds in House Fires

(Click on the image for the NBC5-Dallas report)

• “If you are trapped in your home you want a closed door between you and the fire"
• "closed doors not only blocked smoke, they also kept out dangerous heat"
• A closed bedroom door is still no replacement for smoke detectors.
• Firefighters said you should have a working smoke detector inside and outside each bedroom and have an escape plan and practice it with your family.
• Closing the door is something you can add to that checklist.

Everything You Need To Know About Driving In The Snow

(Click on the image for a 5 minute video)

Because stopping distance is a function of speed squared, it takes 4 times longer to stop from 60 MPH than it does to stop from 30 MPH.

Notes from the MD 210 Safety Meeting - Oct 15, 2018

• MD 210 is the deadliest highway in the deadliest county in the state and in the DC Metro area. (per John Townsend, AAA)
• The speed camera in southbound MD 210 at Old Fort Rd (north) will be used to issue $40 citations starting October 31. (per Major Keleti)
• Officers have issued 8,812 citations on MD 210 so far this year. (per Major Keleti)
• The Kerby Hill/Livingston Rd intersection "detour will happen in early spring, hopefully sometime in March. That's when pedestrian access across MD 210 will go away." (per David Jackson, SHA)
• Related: Charles County Delegate considers MD 210 improvements key to Charles County growth (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wBPIxgN4Qs ,37 minutes in)
• A Prince George's County Delegation bill to allow the one speed camera to be used in "safety corridors", rather than the current fixed location, is being considered. (per Del. Valderrama)

District VII to Sponsor a Family During the Holiday Season

Major Keleti Calls District VII CAC "the best"

Major James Keleti
By Andrew C. Hanko, former Mayor of New Carrollton, MD

The City of New Carrollton has reason to celebrate! One of its own was recently promoted to Major in the Prince George's County Police Department, James Keleti. Major James Keleti is the Commander of District 7, located in the southern region of Prince George's County consisting of Accokeek, Fort Washington and Brandywine.

Major Keleti is the son of Stephen and the late Grace Keleti. He grew up in the City on 84th Avenue. He attended Carrollton Elementary School after which he went to Charles Carroll Middle School, then DeMatha Catholic High School where he was on the varsity wrestling team. He played various sports for the New Carrollton Boys and Girls Club and was a member of the New Carrollton Pool. Major Keleti fondly recalls growing up in the City, reflecting on the close-knit nature of the community. Without hesitation, he offered that the City was a great place to grow up, adding that City Corn Boils were not to be missed.

Mayor Hanko fondly recalls James riding his tricycle around the neighborhood making police siren sounds. The Major's father recalls him directing traffic as a child. Clearly Major Keleti was destined to be a police officer! In fact, he cannot remember ever wanting to be anything else. The Major began his career as a volunteer fire fighter with the West Lanham Hills Fire Department. He was then a Special Police Officer for Montgomery Wards at Capital Plaza before becoming a police officer with the Prince George's County Police Department, where he has been ever since. Major Keleti served as Commander in the Investigative, Narcotic and National Harbor units of the Prince George's County Police. Today, as Commander of District 7, he reviews crime reports, manages day to day operations of and meets with community members and groups, which he finds most rewarding. Major Keleti is delighted to have a strong supportive community and a Citizen's Advisory Council he calls "the best." Communication is the key as he believes you can resolve a lot of issues with good communication.

Major Keleti's advice to those who want to be successful in their careers: stay focused, stay committed, work hard and never give up! He also admonishes that a family/work balance is very important. He is very grateful that he had a family that supported him in his career through the years. What he likes the most about his job is the opportunity to help people in their time of need and keep everyone as safe as possible.

Major Keleti now lives in Bowie. He has two daughters and two grand-daughters, of whom he is very proud.

Congratulations Major Keleti on a job well done!

MD 210 Crashes from WTOP Traffic Center's incident database

(Click on the image for the map)

Key: Red = Northbound, Blue = Southbound, Green = Both ways

224 crashes shown from Oct. 3, 2017 to Oct. 11, 2018.

See Dave Dildine's "Only on WTOP: This is the most crash-prone stretch of the Beltway" Dave kindly provided the data used for this map.

Dave wrote, "Only 11 incidents since Sept. 14, 2018. There were likely more. MD-210 is a difficult road for us. We don't get as many callers, Prince George's PD radio is encrypted and there are virtually no traffic cameras."

Prince George’s leads Md. traffic deaths

(Click on the image for William Vitka's WTOP report)

• Ninety-nine people died in traffic-related crashes in Prince George’s County, Maryland, and 35 lost their lives to crashes in Fairfax County, Virginia, in 2017. The numbers mark an upswing from 2016 (75 for Prince George’s, 34 for Fairfax), despite both counties’ efforts to eliminate roadway fatalities.
• Mid-Atlantic AAA data show that Prince George’s County is particularly dangerous for pedestrians, with 24 losing their lives in 2017 compared to 19 in 2016. That gives the county the unpleasant distinction of having the highest number of pedestrian fatalities in the D.C. area.
• See also Adam Tuss' News4 video report on this.

Prince Georges, 2013-2017

(Click on this chart for the NHTSA source)