gaithersblog.net

District 6 released their latest weekly report late last week. This past week’s summary lists one rape, eight robberies, two aggravated assaults, three commercial and five residential burglaries, nineteen thefts from vehicles, six stolen vehicles, two recovered vehicles and three sex offenses.

• A strong-armed robbery occurred at Water Street & Harmony Hall Road on Sunday 4/22 at 2315 hours. The suspects knocked the victim down, beat and kicked him and took cash from his pocket. MCP K-9 tracked the suspect to the area of 108 Spring Street. Suspects: Four B/M’s, all 16-20 yrs. old, 5’7”-5’8”/130-150 lbs., two with shirts, two without shirts

• A business named Archstone Smith at 9806 Mahogany Drive had an attempted burglary between 1700 hours on Sunday 4/22 and 0900 hours on Monday 4/23. The front basement storm window was pulled out of the frame on two different occasions.

• A theft from a vehicle occurred on Manette Court on Sunday 4/22. At 0330 hours, Gaithersburg City officers saw the suspect running across Great Seneca Highway and then went behind the (closed) Lowes. When officers stopped the suspect, he had conflicting stories on what he was doing out at that hour. He consented to a search and several of the victim’s credit cards were found in his pockets. The victim was contacted and had no knowledge of the suspect. The suspect also had a stolen satellite radio that was taken in a theft between 4/12 and 4/13 on Summer Walk Drive. This suspect is currently homeless; having been just kicked out of his parents home on Market Street, and may be responsible for the recent trend of thefts from autos in this beat.

  Defendant: Alexander Novelli, W/M, 20 yrs. old, 5’11”/180 lbs., has priors for burglary, theft and stolen vehicle

• A ’03 Toyota Corolla was taken from Fleece Flower Drive on Thursday 4/19 at 0615 hours. The victim had started her vehicle and went back inside her residence, after asking her boyfriend to watch the vehicle. The boyfriend saw the suspect hanging out in the area but he went in the house also and when they came out, the vehicle was gone.

  Suspect: B/M, 20-30 yrs. old, 5’7”/190 lbs., dredlocks

• A ’02 Pontiac Grand Prix, stolen from PG County on 1/15, was found abandoned on West Side Drive on Wednesday 4/18 at 1020 hours. The supplement stated a DCS was on file for the suspect.

• A ’92 Lexus Es300, stolen from DC on an unknown date was towed for no permit on 4/17 from Mahogany Drive. The door handle had been pried and the vehicle was completely stripped (NFD).

• The Chevron at 12301 Darnestown Road was robbed on Wednesday 4/18 at 1700 hours. The two suspects entered, both wearing masks. The second suspect acted as a lookout by the front door while the first suspect implied a gun under his shirt and demanded money from the employee. The suspects obtained cash and fled out the front door and were last seen running towards Safeway.

  Suspect: H/M, 5’8”-5’11”/160-170 lbs., white mask (NFD), camouflage hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans

  Suspects: H/M, 5’8”-5’11”/white mask (NFD), blue hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans

• A commercial burglary occurred at Standard Supply, Chestnut Street on Sunday 4/22 at 2020 hours. The suspect forced a side window open and was stacking the property outside in a shopping cart. The building representatives responded after the alarm company called them and saw the suspect trying to pull a generator out of the window. They confronted him and he walked off. He was arrested nearby. The suspect was positively identified through the video tape.

  Defendant: Hector Castro-Galarza, H/M, 55 yrs. old, 5’8”/157 lbs., has priors for robbery, burglary, theft, concealed weapon & CDS, of 523 W. Diamond Avenue

• A ’02 Mazda MPV was taken from the Shell gas station, 600 Quince Orchard Road on Thursday 4/19 at 0205 hours. The victim’s boyfriend had the vehicle and left the suspect in the vehicle while the boyfriend went inside the store. The suspect drove off.

• A strong-armed robbery occurred at the 18600 block of Walkers Choice Road on Friday 4/20 at 0255 hours. The victim was getting into her vehicle when the suspect grabbed her in a choke hold and demanded her purse or he would kill her. He fled on foot in an unknown direction of travel.

  Suspect: H/M, 25-30 yrs. old, 5’-5’2”/140-150 lbs., black ski mask, black sweatshirt, blue pants

• A strong-armed ‘robbery’ occurred at the 18700 block of Nathans Place on Saturday 4/21 at 0955 hours. The victim is well-known to 6D officers and said that the suspects were hanging out in the apartment, drinking with the victim. The victim went to sleep and the suspects then came in her room and took $100 from her purse before fleeing.

  Suspect: Sonya, B/F, 32-35 yrs. old, 5’10”/200-230 lbs., is a crack user

  Suspect: ‘T’, B/F, 32-35 yrs. old, NFD

  Suspect: Christine, W/F, 35 yrs. old, 5’4”/113 lbs.

• A victim was stabbed by his roommates after an argument on Watkins Station Circle on Saturday 4/21 at 0315 hours. The victim said the suspects fled in a van and are possibly going back to Florida.

  Suspect: ‘Nore No’, h/M, 30-35 yrs. old, 5’8”/180 lbs.

  Suspect: ‘Angel’, H/M, 30-35 yrs. old, 5’8”/180 lbs.

  Suspect: ‘El Gallo, H/M, 30-35 yrs. old, 5’8”/180 lbs.

• The Village Pharmacy, 19271 Montgomery Village Avenue had an attempted burglary on Monday 4/23 at 0454 hours. Officers responded for an alarm, and found the rear door tampered with; no entry was made.

• At least three different houses in the 19100 block of Roman Way had gang-related graffiti spray painted on them on Wednesday 4/18 between 0800 and 1500 hours. Black spray paint was used to write phrases such as “124”, “dipset”, “1st St Rockville”, as well as various profanities.

• A sexual assault occurred outside Reed’s Jewelers at Lakeforest Mall on Tuesday 4/17 at 1755 hours. The suspects approached the adult female victim and one told her, “Excuse me, I’m falling”, and grabbed her between the legs. The second suspect told him, “I owe you ten bucks” and the suspects fled out the mall.

  Suspect: B/M, 30-35 yrs. old, 6’/220 lbs., blue baseball cap, blue shirt and blue sweatpants

  Suspect: B/M, 30-35 yrs. old, 6’/220 lbs., shaved head, goatee, yellow sweatshirt & sweatpants

• A driver for Papa John’s pizza was robbed at Welbeck Way on Friday 4/20 at 2220 hours. The suspect beat the driver and took cash. The victim drove back to the store before reporting the robbery.

  Suspects: three B/M’s, 17-23 yrs. old, 6’, black hooded sweatshirts, dark colored bandanas over their faces

• An aggravated assault occurred on Wightman Road on Friday 4/20 at 2200 hours. The victim was walking from the bus stop when the suspects shot him in the leg with a BB gun. Officers saw the suspects running towards Hurley Park and two pellet guns were found in the area. The second suspect also had marijuana on him. These suspects are possibly responsible for other BB vandalisms in the area. CR # M07-020960

  Defendant: Juvenile, B/M, 15 yrs. old, 5’5”/130 lbs., dredlocks, of Chadburn Place

  Defendant: Juvenile, B/M, 13 yrs. old, 5’8”/130 lbs., dredlocks, of Chadburn Place.

  Defendant: Juvenile, AKA ‘D’, B/M, 15 yrs. old, 6’2”/172 lbs. of Quill Place

• There were two burglaries on Rothbury Lane. There was no sign of forced entry in either
  event and both victims suspect (albeit it without proof) the maintenance personnel are
  responsible.

  • 4/20-4/22 FRI-SUN 20100 block of Rothbury Lane Thirteen boxes of shoes missing.
  • 4/19-4/22 THU-SUN 2010 block of Rothbury Lane An Avon jewelry set and a Christmas tree
    were taken.

• Gang-related graffiti was found at two different residences.

  • 4/17-4/19 TUE-THU Kardwright Court Grey spray paint was used to write “124 Fuck da police”
  • 4/19-4/21 THU-SAT Burlingame Way Grey spray paint was used to write “124 Niggas Fuck da Police”

• The Bank of America, 22 N. Summit Avenue was robbed on Thursday 4/19 at 1302 hours. The suspect approached the employee at the counter and handed him a grey bank bag. Inside the bag was the note saying that the suspect had a gun (none seen), and to give the suspect all the $20’s, $50’s, and $100 bills, but no dye packs. The suspect obtained an unknown amount of cash and fled out the door, running towards E. Diamond Avenue. Suspect: W/M, 5’10”/180 lbs., light blue hooded sweatshirt, black baseball cap, dark sunglasses, black sweatpants, and black gloves

• Gaithersburg City officers made a traffic stop at 374 N. Summit Avenue on Tuesday 4/24 at 1825 hours. A hand gun was recovered and at least one arrest was made but the report has not been turned in yet.

• There were five thefts from vehicles the night of Tuesday 4/17 to Wednesday 4/18. All but one of the victims had the windows broken and loose items taken. There was also a stolen vehicle during the same time frame.

  • 2200-0645 hrs. 18300 block of Ivy Oak Terrace Broke rear vent window, nothing taken.
  • 1730-0705 hrs. 7600 block of Laytonia Drive Broke rear vent window, attempted to take stereo, took lap top computer.
  • 1930-0815 hrs. Ivy Oak Court Broke rear vent window, took briefcase, checkbook, cooking utensils and five CD’s.
  • 2300-0730 hrs. 7600 block of Laytonia Drive Broke window, took cash.
  • 1800-0730 hrs. 7600 block of Laytonia Drive Unlocked door, took vehicle registration.
  • 2300-0400 hrs. 7600 block of Laytonia Drive Took a white ’93 Ford Fiesta, MD/tags.

I’ve been attempting to understand a bit more about the crime statistics, and how they fit as compared to other jurisdictions. One helpful resource that I found is the FBI’s Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, which is now available in preliminary form for 2006 year-end .

I’ve pulled in their spreadsheet and have included data for Montgomery County, District 6 and Gaithersburg in order to do some comparisons. I should caution that the FBI’s data only includes jurisdictions with with more than 100,000 population, so it it isn’t a perfect peer group for Gaithersburg. Also, while District 6 and Montgomery County taken as a whole each do have populations more than 100,000, they may be lacking the municipal character of most of the jurisdictions in the FBI report. Still, this data does give a reasonably good idea of how much crime is typical for an urban region.

As is the case with the MCP and Gaithersburg Police data, what is provided is absolute counts of crime incidents. All of these jurisdictions report their crime data according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting methodology, for which there are extensive and detailed instructions. Thus the numbers should be directly comparable. But since the jurisdictions are of widely-varying sizes, it is not really possible to directly compare a count of, say, burglaries in New York City to burglaries in Gaithersburg — of course New York’s number will be vastly larger. This is why I divided all the incident counts by the population of each jurisdiction, so that I could look at per capita crime rates.

After computing this figure for all 241 jurisdictions in the FBI report, I wanted to get a figure that indicated where our local jurisdictions would fall in the list, had they been included. Toward this end, I counted the number of jurisdictions which had lower per capita incidence rates than Gaithersburg, divided that count by the total number of jurisdictions, and expressed the result as a percentage. This gives a percentile rank — the higher this number, the worse the crime rate in a relative sense. These numbers are presented in a table below for Gaithersburg, all of District 6 and for all of Montgomery County.

By and large, the Gaithersburg numbers, on a per capita basis, are sort of on the high side of the middle of the pack, although robberies are pretty high at 78%. However, there is one category for which the Gaithersburg numbers just jump out and smack you in the face: Larceny. (Larceny is basically theft of property other than vehicles, except by burglary or robbery.) In 2006, Gaithersburg had about 31.9 larcenies per thousand residents. The *only* jurisdiction in the FBI report with a higher rate of larcenies is St. Louis, MO. Taking the aggregate “Property Crimes” number, which includes just Larceny, Burglary and Auto Theft, Gaithersburg’s rate is higher than all but four other listed jurisdictions: Tacoma, WA, Orlando, FL, Fayetteville, NC and St. Louis, MO. This is despite the fact that Gaithersburg’s Burglary and Auto Theft figures are just sort of mid-pack.

Thus, my primary conclusion after looking at these numbers is that there is a lot of thievery in Gaithersburg. I will note that a large amount of this theft is from vehicles, which has been very common for some time now. In fact, week after week in the District 6 crime reports the police remark on the extremely high rate of these sorts of thefts. And a disturbingly high number of these thefts are from unlocked vehicles. A lot of people in Gaithersburg are leaving valuables in their cars and leaving them unlocked, and there are a lot of people out there who are taking advantage of this fact.

The Montgomery County Police Department has released their 2006 year-end crime statistics. C. Benjamin Ford reports in the Gazette:

While the number of murders and rapes declined last year, the county’s overall crime rate increased 6.1 percent, pushed up in large part by a nearly 13 percent rise in robberies.

But while violent crimes reported to police were down, robberies, felony thefts, burglaries all increased, with the biggest jump in robberies. There were 1,166 robberies in 2006 compared to 1,035 the year before — a 12.7 percent increase.

Police also recorded a nearly 6.1 percent increase in less serious crimes, such as misdemeanor theft, embezzlement, bad checks and other offenses — crimes often referred to as ‘‘quality-of-life” offenses because of how they affect neighborhoods and communities.

‘‘There are social and economic factors tied to [these crimes],” Manger said. ‘‘Any kind of theft has some economic factor to them. Most people wouldn’t steal if they didn’t need the money.”

Also, The Frederick News-Post reports:

Manger said six murders were directly related to domestic disputes. Eighty percent of the victims knew their killers. Strangers were responsible for two deaths. Twelve of the 15 homicide cases have been closed. Five homicides occurred in the Germantown district and none in Gaithersburg.

That last sentence, I’m thinking, is a mis-read of the report. Actually, in 2006, there were five murders in District 6 (Montgomery Village/Gaithersburg) and none in District 5 (Germantown and the northern and western parts of the county, including Poolsville and Damascus). One of these murders was in Olde Towne and another at Lakeforest Mall. In 2005, the situation was flipped: there were five murders in District 5 and none in District 6. The order of the columns in the report can make it a bit confusing.

Below, I’ve copied in the numbers for District 6, and combined them with the figures reported by the Gaithersburg Police a couple of weeks ago. Since, as far as I know (someone please correct me if I’m wrong about this), Gaithersburg is completely within District 6 and the District 6 figures include Gaithersburg’s, it’s possible to do the math and see the statistics for the parts of District 6 that aren’t in Gaithersburg — District 6 extends to Brink, Woodfield and Fieldcrest Roads on the north, Shady Grove and Muncaster Roads on the east, Darnestown Road on the south and the far side of Seneca State Park on the west. Rape, Burglary and Larceny are up more in the non-Gaithersburg portions of the District, while Robbery and Aggravated assault went down less in Gaithersburg than outside the City. Auto thefts are up dramatically throughout the District, although more so within the City than in the remainder of the District.

It is worth noting, I think, that the number of robberies — which took a major jump in most districts — fell significantly in District 6, including within the Gaithersburg city limits. Germantown led the county with a 25.6% increase in robberies, with Rockville at 23.1% and Silver Spring with a 19.6% increase. It should also be noted, however, that the District 6 robbery count is the third highest (of six) in the County, after Silver Spring and Wheaton. Moreover, District 6 in 2006 had the second-highest incidence of Part I crimes, behind only Silver Spring. (Part I crimes are the ones that are further broken out in the table — Murder, Rape, Robbery, Theft, etc.). Adjusted for population using the numbers obtained around the time of the release of the 2nd quarter statistics, it turns out that District 6 leads the County in per-capita Part I crime. Update Within the City of Gaithersburg it is even worse — Using the City Police figure of 2527 Part I crimes in 2006, and a 2003 Census figure of 57,365 residents, it comes out that the City of Gaithersburg had 44 Part I crimes per thousand residents in 2006.

Update 2 (Alvarez link):MoCo Progressive also has some thoughts on the latest statistics, and also has some disturbing news regarding the punishment criminals can expect in this county — Oscar Lemus-Alvarez, who was arrested for the stabbing incident at Gaithersburg High School last November, received probation before judgement, which essentially means that as long as he behaves himself for a little while, it will be as if the stabbing never happened.

Update 3, 4: I will add another table later, but I calculated out the per-thousand-resident statistics for all ten crime categories in the report, for all six districts plus the City of Gaithersburg. The summary, though, is that Gaithersburg has the highest per-capita rates of Part I, Part II and (of course) total crime. It also has the highest rates of larceny, burglary, and aggravated assault. Silver Spring has the highest rates of robbery and auto theft, while District 6 as a whole has the highest rates of murder and rape. Gaithersburg comes in second for everything that it doesn’t come in first.

I will point out that using the Gaithersburg numbers is just a bit misleading, because it amounts to pulling a very densely-populated portion of one of the districts, and looking at the crime in that core area. Gaithersburg is just ten square miles, while Montgomery County is about five hundred square miles. It is entirely likely that one could pick another ten-square-mile section of Montgomery County (probably out of the Silver Spring district) such that the per-capita numbers are worse than Gaithersburg’s, but we’ll never see that because (a) that area won’t be incorporated and thus (b) those statistics won’t be calculated and/or published. Nevertheless, these numbers do tend to be supportive of the perception many have that crime in Gaithersburg is worse than in many other parts of the County.

• Chris Robinson writes, Pricey perks on the chopping block

  As Gaithersburg debates a new travel policy, a Gazette review of submitted travel expenses over the last five years has found that city taxpayers have paid a number of costs that could be deemed extravagant, including one $95 meal for which for Assistant City Manager Fred Felton left a $70 tip in 2005.

  I have to say that I continue to have difficulty working up any ire over this issue. While I don’t think that anyone thinks there shouldn’t be an explicit policy on travel and reimbursement, I also don’t belive that the Mayor and Council have been compensated out of proportion to the value of time and effort they, as a group, contribute to the City.

• Steve Berberich writes, MedImmune to stay in Gaithersburg

  After the deal closes in June, AstraZeneca will provide MedImmune employees a ‘‘one-time retention grant,” stipulating salary and other compensation, said Emily Denney, an AstraZeneca spokeswoman.

  MedImmune will keep its name and remain headquartered in Gaithersburg, Denney said. The company’s recent commitment to build manufacturing plants in Frederick was a key provision of the deal with AstraZeneca.

  Another key provision is to ‘‘retain MedImmune employees and its culture,” said Denney, who did not elaborate.

• Chris Robinson writes, Asbury Methodist looks expand its Gaithersburg campus

  The Planning Commission unanimously approved a preliminary site plan April 18 allowing a low-density development of courtyard-style duplexes on Asbury’s north end near Odendhal Avenue between Lost Knife and Goshen roads.

  A final site plan is expected to be submitted in June or July and then heard by city officials, said L. Andrew Morgan, Asbury director of sales and marketing.

• Janel Davis writes, Community Ministry celebrates 10 years of giving

  Camilla O. McRory and Thomas M. Sherman say the countless hours they put in with Community Ministry of Montgomery County do not make them heroes, simply everyday citizens helping people who have fallen on hard times.

  Community Ministry begs to differ, and on Friday morning the nonprofit will honor McRory and Sherman at its 10th annual corporate breakfast. McRory will receive the agency’s Humanitarian of the Year award, and Sherman will be named Volunteer of the Year.

  Through the work of the staff and volunteers, Community Ministry operates programs such Sophia House, an emergency women’s shelter services in Silver Spring; clothing centers in Rockville and Gaithersburg; and a ‘‘Friends in Action” mentoring program. The programs earned the organization a four-star, or exceptional, rating for the third consecutive year from Charity Navigator, a national independent charity evaluation group in New Jersey.

  I will put in a small plug here for the Community Ministry; for the past few years most of my clothing donations have gone to the Interfaith Clothing Center (part of the Community Ministry) in Gaithersburg. Their address is 620 East Diamond Ave; it’s in the small industrial/commercial campus on the northeast corner of E Diamond & Girard. They accept donations Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

• Sebastian Montes writes, City seeks clarity on law banning curbside hires

  As day laborers continue to gather in parking lots along Route 355 despite last week’s opening of an employment center in Derwood, Gaithersburg leaders are asking the Maryland Attorney General whether the city’s anti-solicitation ordinance will stand up in court.

• Chris Robinson writes, Gaithersburg bank robbed a second time

  This is the second time in two months the bank, located at 22 N. Summit Ave., has reported a robbery.

  The man arrived at about 1:02 p.m. and passed a note to a bank teller that implied he had a weapon and demanded cash, said county police spokesman Officer Kyle Cochran.

• Chris Robinson writes, Father arrested after he alludes to school shooting

  Larry D. Moore Sr., 40, was arrested April 18 at his home in the 400 block of Carousel Court in Gaithersburg on charges of threatening phone calls and disruption of a school day, police said.

  He is being held at Montgomery County Detention Center in Rockville in lieu of $50,000 bond, as of Tuesday morning.

• Chris Robinson writes, Gaithersburg picks King to lead police

  Viverette said she has known King since they were both rookies, and is confident he can lead Gaithersburg police to the next level.

  ‘‘I’m excited it’s somebody that knows our department and certainly has a lot of connections on the county, which are sometimes necessary for us to get things done,” she said. ‘‘I’m happy for John and I’m happy for the department.”

  In related news, Montgomery County Chief Manger has announced that he has recommended 3rd District Commander Capt. Betsy Davis to replace Assistant Chief King.

From the City’s website. The property tax “increase” is not particularly surprising. The tax rate is not changing — it hasn’t changed in decades — but the projected revenue is going up as a result of increased assessments. This is really just SOP for the City.

Notice - Proposed Real Property Tax Increase Hearing, 5/14/2007

Posted 4/24/2007

CITY OF GAITHERSBURG
31 South Summit Avenue
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20877

Telephone: 301-258-6330

CITY OF GAITHERSBURG NOTICE OF A PROPOSED REAL PROPERTY TAX INCREASE

The Mayor and City Council of the City of Gaithersburg proposes to increase real property taxes.

1. For the tax year beginning July 1, 2007, the estimated real property assessable base will increase by 11.9%, from $7,024,512,135 to $7,857,471,366.

2. If the City of Gaithersburg maintains the current tax rate of $0.212 per $100 of assessment, real property tax revenues will increase by 11.9%, resulting in $1,765,874 of new real property tax revenues.

3. In order to fully offset the effect of increasing assessments, the real property tax rate should be reduced to $0.190, the constant yield tax rate.

4. The City is considering not reducing its real property tax rate enough to fully offset increasing assessments. The City proposes to adopt a real property tax rate of $0.212 per $100 of assessment. This tax rate is 11.6% higher than the constant yield tax rate and will generate $1,765,874 in additional property tax revenues.

A public hearing on the proposed real property tax increase will be held at 7:30 p.m., May 14, 2007, at City Hall, 31 South Summit Avenue, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20877. The hearing is open to the public, and public testimony is encouraged. Persons with questions regarding this hearing may call 301-258-6310 for further information.

Also from the City’s website, to be heard on the same night:

Notice - Budget Public Hearing, 5/14/2007

Posted 4/24/2007

CITY OF GAITHERSBURG
31 South Summit Avenue
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20877
Telephone: 301-258-6330

NOTICE OF A PUBLIC HEARING

Pursuant to Section 41 of the Charter of the City of Gaithersburg, Maryland, the Mayor and City Council of the City of Gaithersburg will hold a public hearing on:

MONDAY

May 14, 2007
7:30 P.M.

or as soon thereafter as it can be heard in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 31 South Summit Avenue, Gaithersburg, Maryland, for the purpose of receiving written and oral comments from the public concerning the proposed annual budget for Fiscal Year 2007-2008.

All interested persons, citizen groups, and organizations are encouraged to attend the hearing and submit comments.

Under the proposed budget, the property tax rate for the City of Gaithersburg remains at $.212 per $100 of assessed value.  Additionally, the ad valorem tax on tangible personal property subject to taxation by the City shall remain at the rate of $0.53 per $100 of assessed value.  Generally, the proposed budget is summarized as follows:

REVENUE
Local Taxes                                       $19,157,000

Licenses and Permits                              2,084,640
Intergovernmental Revenue                   13,688,098                 
Service Charges                                      4,149,470                             
Fines and Forfeitures                                  373,500

Miscellaneous Revenues                          7,425,635

Anticipated Revenue                            $46,878,343
Reappropriation                                       3,524,398
TOTAL                                               $50,402,741

EXPENDITURES
General Government                               $8,970,243
Public Safety                                             9,834,766
Public Works                                            7,290,972

Parks, Recreation & Culture                      8,540,468
Community Services and Development       2,052,049
Miscellaneous                                            2,130,039

TOTAL OPERATING EXPENDITURES             $38,818,537

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS
TOTAL CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS                 $11,584,204
TOTAL PROPOSED EXPENDITURES                $50,402,741

Copies of the proposed budget will be available May 7, 2007, at City Hall, 31 South Summit Avenue, Gaithersburg, Maryland, during regular business hours Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

David B. Humpton
City Manager

From the City’s website:

John King Named Gaithersburg Police Chief

City Manager David Humpton announced today that John A. King has been named Chief of Police for the City of Gaithersburg. He will be sworn in at the Mayor and Council meeting on June 4, 2007. With the assistance of a hiring consultant, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the City of Gaithersburg conducted an exhaustive national search for a department head to replace retiring Chief Mary Ann Viverette. There were over 50 applicants, and King was selected from a pool of six well-qualified finalists.

“I appreciate the feedback and assistance we received from the Police Chief’s Advisory Council and the entire community during this process,” said City Manager Humpton. “We were impressed by John’s commitment to community policing, with his extensive leadership experience, and with his innovative approaches to serving a diverse population. He has a long history in Montgomery County, and strong management capabilities that will serve our community well.”

A resident of Damascus, King comes to Gaithersburg from the position of Assistant Chief of Police for Montgomery County, Maryland, where he has been a member of the police department in various capacities since 1981. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Marist College, a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Baltimore, and is a graduate of the 211th session of the FBI National Academy. He teaches community policing on a regular basis at the International Law Enforcement Academy in Budapest, Hungary, and in the fall of 2006 was selected by the State Department to assist the Romanian National Police with their transition to a more community-focused organization.

“I am excited about joining the City of Gaithersburg leadership team as Chief of Police,” said King. “It is an honor to have the opportunity to both work with the men and women of the Gaithersburg Police Department and to continue the excellent reputation established by Chief Mary Ann Viverette.”

The Gaithersburg Police Department is a nationally-accredited law enforcement agency of 49 sworn officers who share responsibility for services with the Montgomery County Police, providing coverage 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The Department responds to calls for service as necessary, and, when appropriate, utilizes community action teams to solve problems and deal with issues affecting the safety of all City neighborhoods.
For more information contact the City Manager’s Office at 301-258-6310 or cityhall@gaithersburgmd.gov.

Update:In related news, Montgomery County Chief Manger has announced that he has recommended 3rd District Commander Capt. Betsy Davis to replace Assistant Chief King.

The Gaithersburg Police Department reported the following three crimes over the past few days:

Sunday, April 22, 2007
Attempted Strong Arm Robbery
On 04/22/07 at about 11:15 p.m. units responded to the area of Water St. and Harmony Hall Road for a report of a strong arm robbery. The suspects assaulted the victim, stole money, then fled on foot.

Suspects:
1. Black male, 5′07″-5′08″, 130-150, black shirt, black pants
2. Black male, 5′07″-5′08″, 130-150, black shirt, black pants
3. Black male, 5′07″-5′08″, 130-150, black pants, no shirt
4. Black male, 5′07″-5′08″, 130-150, black pants, no shirt

Burglary
On 4/22/07 at 8:22 P.M. police responded to an alarm at a business in the unit block of Chestnut Street. Upon arrival officers observed a subject running out of the business through a broken window. The suspect was arrested after a brief foot pursuit. No property was taken.

Saturday, April 21, 2007
Aggravated Assault
On 4/21/07 at 3:30 A.M. units responded to the 100 block of Watkins Station Circle for an aggravated assault. The victim received a stab wound after becoming involved in an argument with his three roommates.

Suspects: Three Hispanic males all about 30 years of age 5′-8″, 180 pounds.
Suspect vehicle: A white van (unknown make and model) with blue rims and temporary Florida license plates.

The 6th District’s weekly summary for 04/10/07 to 04/18/07 reports one rape, seven robberies, two aggrevated assaults, three commercial and three residental burglaries, seventeen thefts from vehicles, five stolen vehicles and one sex offense.

Selected reports:

• A strong-armed robbery occurred on Wednesday 4/11 at 1836 hours, at the Game Stop, 882 Muddy Branch Road. A customer brought a PSIII up to the counter for purchase. The suspect attempted to grab the box and when the employee pulled it back, the suspect jumped over the counter, pushed the employee and took the property. He was last seen running out the front door.

  Suspect: B/M, 20-25 yrs. old, 6’-6’2”/200-225 lbs., dredlocks, black sunglasses, camouflage vest, blue jeans

• A car-jacking occurred in the parking lot of 18400 block of Lost Knife Circle on Tuesday, 4/17, at 0930 hours. The victim had just exited the vehicle when the suspects approached. The victim is acquainted with the first suspect, but not the second. The first suspect forced the victim into his vehicle and the second suspect drove off in the victim’s vehicle. The first suspect took the victim to his residence, somewhere in Laurel, MD, where he raped the victim (incident to be handled by PG police). He then took her to another location where she got a taxi and went home to make the report.

  Suspect: H/M, 29 yrs. old, 5’8”/170 lbs., mustache & beard

  Suspect vehicle: red Nissan Pathfinder, NFD

  Suspect: H/M, 5’8”, short hair, black hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans

  Victim’s vehicle: green ’98 Toyota Corolla 4D, MD/tags

• An aggravated assault occurred at Lakeforest Mall by Ruby Tuesdays on Thursday 4/12, at 1630 hours. Mall security had told the suspects to leave the mall, due to a verbal dispute. Once outside, the dispute continued and the victim was stabbed. The suspects fled towards Odend’hal and were stopped nearby. Only the first suspect was charged. This incident is possibly gang-related.

  Defendant: Juvenile, H/M, 14 yrs. old, 5’4”/162 lbs., mustache, tattoo of 3 black circles under his right eye, of S. Frederick Avenue

  Suspect: H/M, 13 yrs. old, 5’7”/230 lbs.,

  Suspect: H/M, 13 yrs. old, 5’5”/115 lbs.,

  Suspect: H/M, 15 yrs. old, 5’2”/110 lbs.,

• A strong-armed robbery occurred at 6 N. Summit Avenue, at the Mi Pueblito restaurant, on Thursday 4/12 at 2015 hours. The victim was intoxicated inside the restaurant and the suspect punched him in the face, and took the victim’s necklace.

  Suspect: H/M, 5’8”, dark complexion, medium build, white polo, jean shorts

• An armed robbery occurred on Maplewood Court on Saturday 4/14, at 2230 hours. The victim was entering the building when the suspect approached and asked for money. The victim said she had none and the suspect put her hand under her sweatshirt and told the victim she had a gun (none found). The suspect forced the victim into her apartment where she and her husband gave the victim more money. They then decided to resist and held the suspect until the police arrived.

  Defendant: Sarah Hurley, W/F, 23 yrs. old, 5’2”/145 lbs., red hair, has priors for burglary, theft and CDS, of 21730 Clarksburg Road (5D)

  Maplewood Court is in Olde Towne, off N. Summit south of Girard.

• An aggravated assault occurred on Benji Court on Friday 4/13 at 1720 hours. The victim went to the residence and took a Playstation, saying it belonged to him. The suspect chased the victim and fired a gun towards the victim. The suspect fled before the police arrived. Officers saw the suspect’s vehicle on State Court on Sunday 4/15. Investigation is continuing.

  Benji Court is east of Girard St, near Diamond Ave; it was the location of the stabbing incident involving a 13-year-old from a couple of weeks ago.

• There was a robbery at the Chevron gas station, 100 N. Frederick Avenue on, on Thursday, 4/12 at 2108 hours. This is the 3rd robbery at or near a gas station since 4/2 and the 5th robbery in the area committed by one or more 1/M’s since 3/21. The suspect entered and bought a pack of chewing gum. When the employee opened the register, the suspect produced a small black gun from his pants pocket and told the employee to ‘sleep’. The employee lay down on the floor and the suspect walked around the counter and removed $399 from the register. He was last seen running towards old-town Gaithersburg. MCP K-9 tracked the suspect to the Executive Gardens apartments with negative results.

  Suspect: B/M, 20 yrs. old, 6’/140 lbs., dark complexion, white baseball cap, black hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans

• An armed robbery occurred at the Giant Food, 18250 Flower Hill Way on Monday 4/16 at 2230 hours. A knife was implied but not seen. Suspect: B/M, red jacket, blue jeans

  Suspect: B/M, baseball cap, black shirt, blue jeans, with three to four other B/M’s

• The rape at 9416 Vineyard Haven Drive was committed by the victim’s husband and he was arrested on the scene.

  Defendant: Christian Guardado-Diaz, H/M, 32 yrs. old, 5’5”’/175 lbs., goatee

  Vinyard Haven Drive is in the triangle formed by Whightman, Warfield and Goshen Roads.

• An aggravated assault occurred at Warfield Road and Wightman Road on Tuesday 4/10, at 1959 hours. Three different victims had their vehicle windows shot out (while they were driving) possibly by a BB gun. A witness went into the park and saw the suspects running away and then enter an address on Chadburn Place. The responding officer is familiar with the suspects and provided their names. Both suspects live at the Chadburn address.

  Suspect: Juvenile, B/M, 13 yrs. old, 5’6”/145 lbs., dredlocks

  Suspect: Juvenile, B/M, 15 yrs. old, 5’6”/145 lbs., dredlocks

• A possible peeping tom occurred at the 10200 block of Cove Ledge Court on Wednesday 4/11, at 0145 hours. The male victim heard a noise outside and saw the suspect moving his grill close to the window. The suspect climbed on the grill and reached for the window. The victim yelled and the suspect fled on foot. MCP K-9 tracked the suspect to Club Lake Drive and Blue Tee Terrace with negative results. The victim said similar incidents have occurred two to three times previously (not reported).

  Suspect: B/M, 20-30 yrs. old, 5’9”, NFD

  Cove Lege Court is off Watkins Mill Rd, near Steadwick Rd.

• There was one successful and one attempt to take a Dodge vehicle on the night of Friday 4/13 to Saturday 4/14. The attempt was of a Dodge van. In the 3rd District, there has been a trend of several Dodge vans being taken and then being used to transport stolen vehicle parts. It is unknown if this incident is related to those thefts.

  • 4/14 0204-0240 hours. Pontiac Way The victim heard his vehicle start and saw the vehicle being driven off. The vehicle was found later, a short distance away at Story Drive and County Court.
  • 4/13-4/14 2130-0845 hrs. Agrosy Circle The door lock was pried and the ignition punched in an attempt to take a ’04 Dodge Caravan.

• There were several thefts the night of Wednesday 4/11 to Thursday 4/12. Three of the vehicles were left unlocked, one had the door jimmied, and the last was unknown method of entry. Only loose items in the vehicles were taken. The map to the right shows the cluster of events.

  • 2300-0800 hrs. Tannery Drive Unlocked vehicle, took wallet,
  • 2300-0800 hrs. Swanton Lane Unlocked vehicle, took a cell phone charger, portable satellite radio and $5. CR #
  • 0000-0800 hrs. Summer Walk Drive Unknown entry, took satellite radio, $5, cell phone charger.
  • 1730-0900 hrs. Swanton Lane Jimmied door, searched vehicle, but nothing taken.
  • 1900-0730 hrs. Orchard Ridge Drive Unlocked vehicle, took cell phone holder & a head set, and a tire gauge.
  • 2100-0730 hrs. Swanton Lane Unlocked door, took cell phone.

• There were three thefts from vehicles the night of Saturday 4/14 to Sunday 4/15, where all three had entry gained through the vehicle window. The stereos seemed to be the main targets.

  • 2300-0630 hrs. 19700 block of Framingham Drive Pried window, took stereo, speakers, and a pair of Nike basketball shoes.
  • 2000-0800 hrs. 9400 block of Centerway Road Broke rear vent window on two vehicles, only took a stereo from one.
  • 2000-0800 hrs. 8900 block of Centerway Road Broke window, took stereo.

• A residential burglary occurred in the 10700 block of Seneca Way on Tuesday 4/10, from 1000-1800 hours. The victim came home to find multiple rooms ransacked and a 42” TV, $700 in coins, new hiking boots, and tools missing. The victim met the suspect through Match.com, and has been emailing her. The victim is in the process of selling his house and wanted the suspect to come by while he wasn’t home, to give a woman’s opinion’ of the outside of the residence. A neighbor saw a possible suspect vehicle in front of the residence on the day of the burglary.

  Vehicle: green SUV, NFD

• There were two graffiti incidents in this beat; one is definitely gang-related.

  • 4/11-4/12 WED 1500-1500 hrs. 19300 Watkins Mill Road, Montgomery Village MS Black marker was used to write “124 for Life”, “LP” and “VH” on the gym door.
  • 4/13-4/15 FRI-SUN 18900 block of Montgomery Village Avenue Blue spray paint was used to write “Baby” on the side of a residence.

• Graffiti was written on the roof shingles of the top floor of the garage at 108 Olde Towne Avenue, sometime between Wednesday 4/11 and Friday 4/13. The report does not indicate what the graffiti was.

• Two businesses were broken into on Crabbs Branch Way between 2358 hours on Wednesday 4/11, and 0735 hours on Thursday 4/12.

  • 16811 Crabbs Branch Way Red, Hot & Blue Broke a side door window, broke into two offices, searched drawers but nothing was taken from there. The safe was taken to the kitchen, where it was forced open and cash was taken. The cash box and envelope were left behind. Two utility rooms were broken into and the phone lines cut. The alarm company said the alarms were tripped at 0153 hours, but they have orders NOT to notify the police.
  • 16805 Crabbs Branch Way Pried the front door, took cash from the register

• A theft from a vehicle occurred on Mountain Laurel Court on Wednesday 4/11 at 0045 hours. A citizen called after seeing suspects putting wheels into a vehicle trunk. Officers found the suspect vehicle parked with the engine running and a wheel in the rear seat. The suspect admitted that he got a flat tire and removed the victim’s wheel to replace it. The suspect was arrested for the theft and for DWI. There was a passenger in the vehicle, but he was not charged.

  Defendant: Brandon Finkenauer, W/M, 21 yrs. old, 6’2”/160 lbs, red hair, multiple tattoos, has priors for theft, assault, resi sting arrest & CDS, of 19948 Choctaw Court (5D)

  Vehicle: green ’04 Dodge Intrepid 4D, MD/tags

From the City’s website:

City Seeks to Extend Effective Date of Anti-Solicitation Ordinance, Requests Attorney General Review

Posted 4/20/2007

 

Gaithersburg City Manager David Humpton stated today that at the May 7, 2007 meeting of the Mayor and Council he will present for Mayor and Council vote the introduction of emergency legislation addressing the effective date of the existing anti-solicitation ordinance pending review of the ordinance by the Attorney General.

Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy has questioned the ordinance’s ability to withstand constitutional challenge, and has stated that he will not prosecute citations written under the existing ordinance. McCarthy stated he would reconsider his position once the Attorney General issues an opinion on the ordinance. At their meeting on April 16, 2007, the Gaithersburg Mayor and Council agreed to seek the Attorney General’s opinion.

“The City has always been aware of challenges to similar ordinances and conflicting rulings on the issue across the nation, and we are prepared to present compelling arguments to the Attorney General in defense of our ordinance,” said City Manager David Humpton. “However, we feel that it would be irresponsible to use taxpayer resources, and to issue citations for violations, in an attempt to enforce a law that will not be prosecuted. We will therefore seek to extend the effective date of the ordinance to allow for Attorney General review.”

One element of the anti-solicitation ordinance is employment focused, providing a means to encourage use of the newly-opened Montgomery County Day Workers Center on Crabbs Branch Way. Despite the delay in the ordinance’s effective date, Gaithersburg is prepared to ensure the success of the Center by:

1. Conducting outreach by Police and other City staff to educate both workers and contractors about the various benefits of the Center and the services to be provided there;
2. Continuing dialogue with Montgomery County staff on the operation of the Center and the contractor’s success in matching employers with those seeking employment;
3. Providing signage to business owners announcing, in English and Spanish, that their property is not an authorized site to hire workers and directing contractors and workers to the Crabbs Branch Day Workers Center;
4. Continuing to protect the rights of private property owners and the sanctity of neighborhoods through the enforcement of trespassing and other laws seeking to prevent public nuisance;
5. Continuing to work with the County to eliminate 17 North Frederick Avenue as an informal gathering place for day laborers; and
6. Working with the community and the property owner to make effective use of the property at 17 North Frederick Avenue to enhance the entryway to the City’s historic district.

“The new Crabbs Branch Way Center will be a benefit to the entire community,” said Humpton. “Such a facility has been the City’s goal all along, and we applaud the County for moving forward. The Gaithersburg anti-solicitation ordinance provides only one tool to help ensure the Center’s success, and while we are suggesting we delay the effective date of the ordinance to allow for further review, the City is unwavering in its commitment to using all tools at its disposal.”