Why does PG county have so many police departments? (Bowie: area codes, law)

[dkf747]

Originally Posted by dropping_k

Thanks for the response. I'm surprised that MoCo doesn't have that many small ones. I know Chevy Chase Village, Rockville, Takoma Park, and Gaithersburg have their own. I lived in Silver Spring (Cloverly) growing up and wished my area had their own. I remember the response times of MoCo in that area was horrible. I could think of many small towns in MoCo that could use it.

Doesn't the Gairthersburg police use officers from Montgomery County? It seems like they work together on things. I have seen both show upon calls.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by dkf747

Doesn't the Gairthersburg police use officers from Montgomery County? It seems like they work together on things. I have seen both show upon calls.

They might have a mutual aid agreement. Gaithersburg would be within the MCPD jurisdiction in any event. For a major incident the closest units would be dispatched/respond even if Gaithersburg has original jurisdiction.

[PK12]

Not surprised to see a lot of these towns with their own police depts, esp. Seat Pleasant and Bladensburg

[boreatwork]

I always knew PG County was exclusive when it came to the amount of police forces. Where else is it like that? outside of Maryland?

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by boreatwork

I always knew PG County was exclusive when it came to the amount of police forces. Where else is it like that? outside of Maryland?

Any place that has a lot of municipalities, PA, OH, NY to name three. In those states the County government is the least important. The Sheriff departments typically handle Courthouse security and sometimes warrant service with no, or very little, what is usually considered "police work".

[dropping_k]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

Silver Spring is unincorporated so it wouldn't have police services except for County.
That's where I think some get confused, MD isn't really friendly to formation of local municipalities so there really aren't that many compared to other states, the main local government is the County.

Montgomery County doesn't as many municipalities compared to Prince George's which has 27. Montgomery only has 21, including a couple weird Chevy Chase ones.

Municipal League, MD - Official Website - Prince George's County

Municipal League, MD - Official Website - Montgomery County

Having a police department is incredibly expensive. Not only do you have to fund it yearly (a 7 or 8 officer department I mentioned earlier will cost roughly $1M/year, $125K per officer when all the numbers get crunched) but you're competing with other agencies which can pay higher salaries and offer better benefits.

You would think that MoCo residents would have the money to incorporate small police departments and other municipal services to supplement what is already provided by the county. For example Olney and Kensington would be a perfect place for these services. Not to put PG down, but since I grew up in Moco, I always heard negative stereotypes of PG being a poorer County compared to the rest of the DC area (which I now know to be untrue) ... Yet PG residents earn enough to have local municipal services like a police force. Even if some of them are just limited police services. I think it's an awesome thing to have. But I guess this also explains why PG County taxes are higher than Montgomery.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by dropping_k

You would think that MoCo residents would have the money to incorporate small police departments and other municipal services to supplement what is already provided by the county. For example Olney and Kensington would be a perfect place for these services. Not to put PG down, but since I grew up in Moco, I always heard negative stereotypes of PG being a poorer County compared to the rest of the DC area (which I now know to be untrue) ... Yet PG residents earn enough to have local municipal services like a police force. Even if some of them are just limited police services. I think it's an awesome thing to have. But I guess this also explains why PG County taxes are higher than Montgomery.

They'd have to incorporate as municipalities which is a daunting process. There have to be petitions circulated, some legal work defining the boundaries, numerous public hearings, the County has to sign off (and they would lose some tax revenues since there is a tax differential which lowers the County taxes of municipal residents. It more than evens out for the taxpayer since there are now municipal taxes to be paid) and then there has to be a vote of the affected property owners.

Most of the Prince George's municipalities incorporated decades if not centuries ago.

[Fundman]

Prince Georges County and Montgomery County have an excessive number of small incorporated cities and towns. Most of these towns have less than 5,000 residents. They do not have the money or logistics to operate properly and end up with 3rd rate employees. I'm sure all the officers in these police departments like Cottage City and Edmonston which have only a handful of officers got hired after being rejected by the County police department.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by Fundman

Prince Georges County and Montgomery County have an excessive number of small incorporated cities and towns. Most of these towns have less than 5,000 residents. They do not have the money or logistics to operate properly and end up with 3rd rate employees. I'm sure all the officers in these police departments like Cottage City and Edmonston which have only a handful of officers got hired after being rejected by the County police department.

That's part of what I mentioned earlier, the cost of having a full time department.

As far as quality goes, Police officers in MD have to go through the same basic training. It tends to weed out inappropriate people.

Become a Cop in Maryland - Police Academy Directory - PoliceLink

How to Become a Police Officer in Maryland - How To Become a Police Officer

[tgs_bg]

Originally Posted by Fundman

Prince Georges County and Montgomery County have an excessive number of small incorporated cities and towns. Most of these towns have less than 5,000 residents. They do not have the money or logistics to operate properly and end up with 3rd rate employees. I'm sure all the officers in these police departments like Cottage City and Edmonston which have only a handful of officers got hired after being rejected by the County police department.

I wouldn't be so quick to judge. Working for a smaller municipal police department is a different policing experience compared to working for a county police department. You are typically not as busy and can focus more on proactive enforcement or citizen complaints. Some officers prefer this as opposed to being a "slave to the radio" and staying busy all of the time, which does take a toll on you after a couple of years.

Plus the smaller departments typically have a couple of perks that the county cannot offer to attract candidates.