**************************************************

NAC 3

NEIGHBORHOOD ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING

March 13, 2006 - Minutes

Minutes presented by Kathy Griffee

**************************************************

NAC 3, which represents the Amber Meadows, North Crossing, Willowbrook, and Homewood at Crumland Farms neighborhoods, held its monthly meeting at Monocacy Elementary School in the cafeteria starting at 7 p.m. This month’s theme was “On the Beat,” with City of Frederick police officers Cpl. Joseph Bourke and Sgt. Wayne Trapp.

Also attending was Stephanie Davis, the executive assistant to Mayor Jeff Holtzinger. Ms. Davis, who has worked for the City for many years and under several administrations, recently was appointed by the City as liaison to the NACs. She replaces Sara McGill, who has taken a position in the public affairs office at Ft. Detrick. We, NAC 3 members, wish Sara the very best. And we wish a warm welcome to Ms. Davis. We look forward to working closely with her.

NAC 3 board member Connie Pryor opened the meeting with introductions of board members and attending residents.

Connie then introduced Ms. Davis, who addressed one of the ongoing concerns of neighborhood residents, the overcrowding of single-family homes. Ms. Davis reported that the City was becoming increasingly aware of the issue because it is affecting other neighborhoods.

Ms. Davis informed us that the Board of Alderman and the Mayor were holding a workshop on Wed., March 15, 2006, 2:00 p.m., at City Hall. The overcrowding issue was one of several issues scheduled to be discussed. Workshop meetings are designed to hear public comment, gather information, and weigh options before bringing issues to an actual vote during the regularly scheduled Board of Aldermen meetings. These are held the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of every month.

To the NAC meeting, Ms. Davis had brought copies of the Power Point presentation that was going to be given to the Alderman and Mayor.

Connie then introduced Officer Burke, who was later joined by his supervisor, Sgt. Trapp. The Frederick police officers had been invited to participate in a Q & A, so residents could get a better understanding of how police interact with and protect the NAC 3 neighborhoods. Here are the questions and responses. (Note, the information in parentheses is not part of the “official minutes” but is included to better clarify the responses.)

How do you keep abreast of activities in our neighborhood, and what system do you use to track calls for assistance?

Every call for service is logged and stored in the computer system. Certain calls are automatically tracked, so "trends" can be detected early for patterns. The Police Department has a Crime Analyst who maps the "who, what, when, where, and frequency of such calls, so the police can use their manpower accordingly. Every officer can access this information via computer.

Why don’t we see more police patrols, and why does it take them so long to answer a call?

Officers spend most of their time "on the street." They work one of three shifts: 7a.m.-5.p.m.; 4:30 p.m.-3 a.m.; and 9 p.m., -7:30 a.m. The shifts overlap. On weekends, there are additional officers working the evening and night shifts, to accommodate the increase in calls.

During the day shift, police mostly patrol, respond to accidents, answer calls for assistance, etc. Police activity increases as the day goes on. Between 3-8 p.m., there is an increase in juvenile activity, domestic disputes, traffic accidents, etc. More serious crimes usually occur between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m.

Officers can’t patrol if they are out answering calls. Sometimes, they may have seven or eight calls holding. Each of the calls is answered according to priority. All calls are answered, however.

The City has an average of seven to nine officers working the entire City per shift.

Is there a way for residents to call with a complaint or concern without having the police come to their homes? Sometimes residents want to avoid a confrontation with a neighbor; other times they may not want their identities known for safety reasons.

The police don’t have Caller I.D on the 301-600-2100 non-emergency number. Therefore, the only way they know who called to complain is if callers identify themselves. Callers are not required to leave their name or number. Although each call is recorded, the only way the police can get a number is if it comes through the 911 emergency system.

What sort of gang activity is there in Frederick and, specifically, NAC 3?

Frederick has very little gang activity. MS-13 gang activity primarily has been on the west side of the City and is unorganized. There is no gang activity in NAC 3 to speak of. The graffiti found around Amber Meadows — "AMC" — doesn’t signify the presence of a gang but a "tagging crew." (AMC stands for Amber Meadows Crew.) Tagging crews like to label things. They are usually nonviolent wannabes, artists, and skateboarders who commit "nuisance crimes" with graffiti.

For about three years now, Frederick had a gang specialist on board. His name is Officer Donovan. When there are reports or suspicions of gang activity, the City addresses it right away, sometimes by simply questioning suspected parties.

Gangs are like a business; they want to make money. Frederick, at this time, isn’t attracting the organized gangs because there isn’t the kind of economic opportunities as there are in Northern Virginia and more densely populated areas.

How much crime is there in Amber Meadows and where does it occur?

The problem areas are the Amber Meadows Park at the entrance of Amber Meadows, and the pavilion across the street. Calls to police mainly concern kids hanging out, noise, juvenile activity (drinking, etc.) The more serious crime is at the Country Hills Complex on Taney Avenue, where drug activity and associated crimes occur.

What concerns do the police have?

The growth of Frederick brings a corresponding growth in traffic problems, crime, and adequate police staffing. The City has mutual aid agreements with the Sheriff’s Office, and the State Police will come and assist City police as needed. City Police have no jurisdiction outside of the City limits.

On the positive side, the turnover rate for police officers has dropped. The City has been getting higher-caliber, fully trained officers from other police agencies. Because Frederick is an attractive place to live, the City has many officer candidates from which to choose. In addition, the salaries and benefits for the officers have improved.

There is always a need for more police officers, especially as some of them leave the City due to retirement. The City is always adding officers to the force, as the budget allows.

Why can’t the police arrest a person who has no I.D. and may be in this country illegally?

The police don’t have the resources to determine who is "illegal" through the NCIC computer system they use. The Federal government has a database with this information.

"Illegal aliens” get reported only when they are arrested or suspected of a major crime. When this occurs, the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Services) gets involved. However, that agency is understaffed and under-funded. Accordingly, unless a serious crime occurred, INS wouldn’t make a trip to Frederick. It doesn’t have an office here and is busy handling more populated areas.

(Should an alien or citizen of ANY foreign country gets arrested, his or her embassy or consulate is notified, for diplomatic reasons, by the Frederick County jail. The Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Bureau is responsible for illegal aliens in this country: http://www.ice.gov/graphics/index.htm.)

Regarding an incident on Stonehaven Lane: Why couldn’t the police arrest the man who hit a parked car, and who had no driver’s license or I.D.?

It wasn’t a “jailable” offense. Some offenses require citations, fines, and a court appearance. Driving without a license in and of itself won’t get a person thrown in jail.

Presently, there is a proposed law in Annapolis that would make it illegal to drive without a license. There is also debate/discussion in Annapolis about allowing the MVA to grant drivers licenses, whether or not a person was a citizen.

How do officers issue citations to someone without proper ID?

It is uncommon for people to have no form of I.D.

How do officers deal with individuals who don’t speak English; for example, they speak Spanish only?

The responding officer must get an officer who speaks Spanish to assist. The police force has several Spanish-speaking officers, but they are spread thinly. (When no Spanish linguist is available, the police rely on LL-Link, INC., a contractor for telephonic translation services. When a need arises, the police call a special number and request the language with which they need help. They are then connected to a translator. The Frederick Police Department doesn’t have officers fluent in any other language but Spanish. It does, however, have officers with limited fluency in Korean, German and Farsi.)

How do we contact the police?

Note these numbers, which are posted on the Frederick Police Department’s Web site

http://www.cityoffrederick.com/departments/Police/policeDep.htm

• 911 Emergency: Used for emergencies only.

• 301-600-2100 Non-emergency: Used for reporting routine incidents such as thefts, non-injury accidents, disturbances, concerns, etc. When you dial this number, you will reach a phone tree or you can dial zero for a dispatcher.

• 301-622-1424 Checkmate: Used for reporting crime anonymously. There is no need to leave your name.

• 301-846-2246 STOP Unit (drugs): Used for the Frederick Police STOP Unit to notify the department of suspicious drug activity and locations. You can remain anonymous.

• 301-600-2101 General Police Information: This number is to answer questions and concerns as well as take some types of reports.

• 301-663-3000 Deaf TTY: Used by the hearing impaired for crime reporting.

• 301-624-1202 for complaints that require officers to do "real-time" surveillance

Our NAC 3 police contacts are:

• Sgt. Earl Rocca / Supervisor Squad "G" (primary contact)

301-624-1223, erocca@fredco-md.net

• Cpl. Eric Stanley / Assistant Supervisor (primary contact)

301-624-1221, estanley@fredco-md.net

Lieutenant Kevin V. Grubb / Patrol Commander

301-624-1254, kgrubb@fredco-md.net

Sgt. Mike Hansell / Assistant to the Patrol Commander

301-624-1227, mhansell@fredco-md.net

For gang-related questions or concerns, contact:

• Det. Robert Marker/XXX

301-624-XXX, rmarker@fredco-md.net

For questions or concerns regarding graffiti, contact:

• Ofc. Keith Donovan/XXX

301-624-XXX, kdonovan@fredco-md.net

For questions regarding the Neighborhood Watch program, contact:

• Ofc. John Renninger.

301-624-XXX, jrenninger@fredco-md.net

All of the above police officers can be contacted through the general police number: 301-600-2100.

After the Q&A session, Connie thanked the officers for coming and had Sgt. Trapp draw the Vocelli Pizza raffle ticket. The winner: Dave Shankle

The NAC 3 meeting adjourned approximately 8:15pm.

**************************************************

BIG THANKS!

Once again, NAC 3 gives a thumbs-up to Vocelli Pizza, who supplied this month's raffle prizes. Stop by Vocelli's in the Weis shopping plaza and say thanks!

**************************************************

UPCOMING MEETINGS

Mark your calendars! NAC 3 meetings are held the second Monday of every month at Monocacy Elementary, unless otherwise indicated. Our next meetings will be:

Monday, April 10 at 7 p.m. Topics: Emergency Preparedness

Monday, May 15 at 7 p.m.

All residents are welcomed!

**************************************************

BULK TRASH PICKUP DAY

Set out your items by Tuesday, April 11, 2006. Pick-up will take place from Wednesday, April 12^th - Saturday, April 15^th.

For information about what can or can’t be picked up, contact the Department of Public Works at 301-600-1680.

**************************************************

NAC CONTACTS

Have questions? Want to learn more about NAC 3? Contact:

* Connie Pryor, cwpryor@adelphia.net

* Beth Conny, jbconny@adelphia.net

* Stephanie Davis, stephanie@cityoffrederick.com

Or visit these sites:

http://www.cityoffrederick.com/index.htm

http://www.cityoffrederick.com/PublicInfo/OtherInfo/NAC.htm