Maryland police chief issues apology after officer’s remark about ‘black bad guy’

The Washington Post,by Dana Hedgpeth, August 29 at 2:54 PM
The Prince George’s County police chief apologized in a video this week after an officer made a comment to a group of children Friday about a “black bad guy” in explaining how the K-9 unit at the department operates.
Chief Hank Stawinski said in a YouTube video that he was apologizing on behalf of the officer and the department for the remark, which he called “unfortunate.”
The chief’s comments were in response to another video posted to YouTube in which an officer is heard explaining what a K-9 dog does “if a black bad guy is running and he drops his cellphone.” . . .

Your Family Needs You

PGPD Investigates Fatal Collision in Oxon Hill - Aug 25

The Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit is investigating a fatal crash in Oxon Hill early Saturday morning. The victim is 38-year-old Angela James of Rowe Lane in Catonsville.
On August 25th, at approximately 3:10 am, patrol officers responded to the intersection of Indian Head Highway and Wilson Bridge Drive for a collision involving a single car.
The preliminary investigation reveals the car was heading southbound on Indian Head Highway, when for reasons which remain under investigation, it left the roadway and struck the median curb and guardrail. The victim was pronounced dead on the scene. There were no passengers in the car.
 Anyone with information is asked to call the Prince George’s County Police Department’s Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit at 301-731-4422. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477); online at www.pgcrimesolvers.com or the “P3 Tips” mobile app (search “P3 Tips” in the Apple Store or Google Play to download the app to your mobile device).

School Zone Moving Violations Endanger Children Walking to School in D.C. Area

(Click on the image for Scott MacFarlane's News4 report)

• “Parents are trying to get to work, kids are trying to get to school, everybody is running late,”
• Violations include reckless driving, speeding and distracted driving.
• From 2015 to 2017, there were 18 Prince George's pedestrian injuries walking to and from school.

Students are not watching out for you. Please drive as if they are your kids!

Business and Community Donors Who Made National Night Out Possible

Thank You!

Drivers Aren’t Securing Their Loads on the Road

(Click on the image for the AAA report)

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Aug. 11, 2016)- More than 200,000 crashes involved debris on U.S. roadways during the past four years, according to a new study released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Road debris has resulted in approximately 39,000 injuries and more than 500 deaths between 2011 and 2014.
About two-thirds of debris-related crashes are the result of items falling from a vehicle due to improper maintenance and unsecured loads. The most common types of vehicle debris are:

• Parts becoming detached from a vehicle (tires, wheels, etc.) and falling onto the roadway
• Unsecured cargo like furniture, appliances and other items falling onto the roadway
• Tow trailers becoming separated and hitting another vehicle or landing on the roadway

Securing Vehicle Loads: When moving or towing furniture, it is important to make sure all items are secured. To properly secure a load, drivers should:

• Tie down load with rope, netting or straps
• Tie large objects directly to the vehicle or trailer
• Cover the entire load with a sturdy tarp or netting
• Don’t overload the vehicle
• Always double check load to make sure a load is secure

I can add another warning from personal experience - don't carry a box-spring & mattress set on the roof of your car. Thankfully we were uninjuried but the mattress set flying off the roof of the car in front of us on MD 210 last Friday evening caused over $3,000 in damage to our car and loss of its use for 2 weeks. 😞(Ron)

Speed Cameras Work

(Click on the image for the briefing)

• Speed Cameras Slow Drivers
• The Vast Majority of Drivers Do Not Get Cited by Speed Cameras
• More and More Drivers Are Slowing Down Because of Speed Cameras
• A Few Incorrigible Speeders Are Unaffected by Speed Cameras
• Increasing Penalties Might Get Them to Change Their Behavior