NAC 3 Minutes for April 14, 2008

                                     Monocacy Elementary School, 7 pm

 

Tonight’s Agenda:

1.    Community Announcements

2.    Police Report  -  Cpl. Sommers

3.    “Police and You”  -  Sgt. Figgers and Cpl. Sommers will present an overview of the police in our City, will answer previously submitted questions and take questions from the audience.

NAC Coordinators Present:

Connie Pryor, Beth Conny and Kathy Griffee

Attendance by community was about 25 residents

 

Beth started the Meeting at 7:10 by introducing Stephanie Davis our Community Outreach Specialist from the Mayor’s office.

 

Community Announcements:

·         Stephanie reviewed the NAC’s purpose and mentioned that NAC 3 is considering changing our meeting night, possibly starting Sept. 2008, from the 2nd Monday each month to the 1st Monday of the month so that we can attend Planning Commission Meetings.   There are a number of proposed areas of growth/development on NAC 3’s borders which would impact our schools and roads.  Residents are encouraged to attend the Planning Commission Meetings to voice concerns, ask questions or just listen to the discussion and decision making process that will have a direct affect on your community.

·         Developers are now required to present their proposed projects to the area NAC(s) before going to the City for Site Plan Approval

·         Citizens can request City Staff for topics/speakers at our NAC meetings to address issues/concerns.  Let Stephanie, or one of the NAC coordinators know of topics of interest.

·         Beth presented some of NAC 3’s allocated funds to Monica Boyd, the representative from Monocacy Elementary School PTA.  The $100 check will go towards buying new playground equipment for the 3 classes of pre-K students.  Anyone can donate to this project and we “think” the donation is tax deductible.

·         Saint John’s Regional Catholic School is having a GREEN YOUR GIZMOS electronics recycling event on Saturday, May 3rd, 9am-2pm at St. John Regional Catholic School, 8414 Opossumtown Pike, Frederick, MD  21702.  For more Information call 301-662-6722 or email www.sjrcs.org.    Items accepted are: desktops, laptops, keyboards, mice, monitors, printers, scanners, copiers, faxes, cell phones and PDA’s, stereos/speakers, VCR/DVD players.

Limit one monitor per carload, additional monitors are $8.

$15 per Carload of Electronic Equipment (no credit cards)

A portion of all recycling fees benefits St John Regional Catholic School and fees may be tax deductible.  Please check with your tax advisor regarding donation.

·         Beth presented an award to Jimmie Toms for his outstanding job of cleaning up around the Utility Boxes on Amber Drive near the City Park.  He cleaned up and hauled away 6 large bags of trash.  Unfortunately, we are plagued with teens hanging out there and since the utility boxes are on the “common area” for the townhouse HOA, no one cleans it up regularly.  Thank you Jimmie!

 

Police Report  -  by Cpl. Sommers    dsommers@fredco-md.net   301-600-2099

Anonymous Drug Tip Line is 301-600-2246            Only 911 calls have caller ID

There were 270 Calls for service in NAC 3 this past month with only 6 arrests.

·         The arrests were for a suspect in a “shots fired” incident, 2 people were arrested resulting from a search and seizure warrant and 3 juvenile arrests were made most likely due to being runaways. 

·         Runaway arrests are called CINS (Child In Need of Supervision)     Residents can call the police for juveniles (17 years and under) being out during the week after  11 pm-6am and after midnight on weekends.  Juveniles out past the curfew get a warning and their parent(s) are notified.   2nd offense is the parent’s responsibility for not knowing where the juvenile was and a $100 fine/citation.  For each additional offense the violation goes up $100.

·         There was an incident in North Crossing where 2 female members of the Neighborhood Watch had threats made against them by a young male who showed a gun.  Detective Robert Marker (Frederick’s Gang Specialist) noticed the name on the incident report and has identified this young man as a member of the gang, “Bloods.”  The police have contacted HUD to get some of the problem tenants removed.   The mother at one of the problem addresses works 10-10 and has no control over her teenage sons.   The neighbors are encouraged to call the police for any and everything.

·         Detective Robert Marker is hosting a Gang Presentation for NAC 5 on April 24, at the Baughman’s Lane Holiday Inn, 7 pm.  This meeting is open to the public, anyone interested can attend.

·         Some graffiti on utility boxes along Amber Dr. has been noted.  Residents are asked to please call the police and report the graffiti so the police can check it, take photos if necessary and make sure it is removed.  Property owners are responsible for removing the graffiti.   Not all graffiti is gang related, sometimes it’s just kids/people with nothing better to do.   Leaving graffiti is referred to as “tagging”

·         Cpl. Sommers will send Connie Pryor emails with police reports that are relevant specifically to NAC 3 in between meetings.  She will forward the info to those on NAC 3’s email list.

 

The Police and You

Presented by Sgt. Ron Figgers,  Supervisor for Squad G  rfiggers@fredco-md.net   301-600-1230 and

Cpl. Dwight Sommers, assistant supervisor, dsommers@fredco-md.net  301-600-2099

Squad G responds to calls in both NAC 3 and NAC  4.

Cpl. Sommers  worked very hard on a power point presentation but he didn’t have the right cable to present it tonight.  We will invite him back to show it at a future time. 

 

Questions compiled from residents in advance:

1.    What should we do for aggressive drivers?

A.    Call the police.  Motorcylces are the most reckless, hardest to catch and also hard to identify because of the helmets.

2.    Why do so many officers respond to a “simple” call?

A.     Simple calls don’t always end up simple because people calling in don’t always know the severity of the situation.  Also, supervisors go on calls, too, adding to the number of officers responding.

3.    At what point does a traffic accident merit a 911 call?

A.    It really helps the police if the person reporting an accident would stop and get a few specific details so the dispatcher has more information to relay to the appropriate responders.  It would not be necessary for all the city’s emergency responders to show up for a fender bender.

4.    How best to notify the police about chronic speeding?

A.    Call the police and request checks for specific areas.  Please give the times and days  when speeding is the worst so a traffic study can be done.

5.    What do we do for cars not stopping for pedestrians?

A.     Drivers and pedestrians share the responsibility.  If this is a safety/continuous problem call the police and request a check.  If the problem persists,

 the City could have Devon Hahn, the traffic engineer, do a study.

6.    Are people (any age) allowed to be in the park or in the pavilion after dark?

A.     City Parks close at 10 pm and the police can remove people from them after that hour.  That includes people walking their dogs, too.  The police can’t discriminate on who to remove from the parks after dark.  HOA’s often have their own private parks and playgrounds.  Because they are private property with numerous “owners” it is more difficult to remove people from those parks.   Posting signs that the park “closes at dark” does not make it more enforceable for the police.

7.    There is obvious drug activity in the Amber Meadows City Park day and night.  Why can’t the police do something about this?

A.    Police need probable cause and can’t just arrest someone at will.  They need observation time.   Report suspicious activity to the non-emergency number (301-600-2100) or the drug tip line (301-600-2246) so the police can observe for themselves.

8.    If I call to report something suspicious will it be confidential?

A.    Only the City’s 911 line has Caller ID.  All other calls can be anonymous.  However, if you want a call back or follow-up you will need to give your name and number or an email address.    Both the County’s 911 and non-emergency number to the sheriff have Caller ID.

9.     Why does it take 3-5 days for an officer to respond to an email or phone call?

A.     The Police Patrol schedules are 4 ten and a half hour days, 4 days on, 3 days off.

1.     Day shift – 7am – 5:30pm

2.    Evening Shift – 4:30 pm – 3am

3.    Midnights are a permanent shift – 9pm -7:30am (Mon-Thurs. or Thurs-Sun.)

                     Every 2 weeks the Day and Evening shifts rotate. 

                     Every month they switch the days that they work.   Their 4 work days are either

                     Tues-Friday or Friday-Monday

                     If an officer doesn’t get right back to you he might be off for 3 days.  Police are only

                     Required to check their email at the beginning of their shift and at the end of the

                     Shift.  If you don’t get a response from that officer, try contacting him again.  Give

                      Him the opportunity to get back to you before going higher up the chain of                       

                      Command.

10.                       Who do I report Overcrowding to?

A.     Mike Blank is the Manager of Code Enforcement.  His department works closely with the police dept.  You can contact him at mike@cityoffrederick.com  or  jschmidt@cityoffrederick.com  301-600-3825 with complaints.   Mr. Blank uses the International Property Maintenance Code to enforce the number of people versus the legal amount of space for sleeping areas.

11.                      Do I call the Tow Truck when someone blocks my driveway or should I call the police?

A.     You can call for a Tow Truck yourself but it is usually advisable to call for the police too just in case the person getting towed gets very “unhappy” with you.

12.                      What can I do about abandoned vehicles or trailers, etc.?

A.     Vehicles without tags are not allowed on public streets anywhere in the state of Maryland.   All vehicles in Frederick City are only allowed to park on public streets for 48 hours and then they must be moved.  Vehicles parked for longer than 48 hours can be reported to Cpl. Bowman at jbowman@fredco-md.net   Vehicles heavier than 11,500 lbs. are not allowed to be parked in residential areas unless conducting business/providing services.  

Abandoned vehicles on private property come under Code Enforcements jurisdiction.  Complaints can be made to jschmidt@cityoffrederick.com or 301-600-3825.

13.                        What is the Noise Ordinance and does it apply to noisy neighbors?

A.     The noise ordinance addresses excessive use of police services for calls such as disorderly conduct, noise greater than 65 decibles during the day and 55 decibles at night in residential areas.   This is hard to enforce.  Noise from within a house from screaming kids, fighting  or skateboarding in the house, etc. is not going to be louder than 55 decibles.   If noise from vehicles can be heard more than 50 ft. away, it is a violation.

14.                       Do I have to listen to vulgar and offensive language from kids hanging out?

A.    Offensive language is considered disorderly conduct or disturbing the public peace.  Law Enforcement needs a “victim” so a citizen can’t just make an anonymous call.  Without a victim the police can’t make an on scene arrest but can “charge” the guilty person(s) in court to “cease and desist activity.”

 

Beth presented a certificate to Cpl Sommers and Sgt. Figgers  for our appreciation to all our dedicated Police Officers.

Cpl. Sommers picked the raffle, which was won by Jeanne Bobotchak.

Meeting adjourned at 8:20 pm.

 

 Next Meeting is on May 12, 2008,  7 pm at Monocacy Elementary School.

Minutes submitted by Kathy Griffee