Monday, February 11, 2013
Motorists speeding through Hyattsville could end up with a $40 fine if caught by automated camera system.
Starting Monday, motorists traveling through Hyattsville now have five more reasons to keep the pedal off the metal. That's when the city's new automated speed camera program goes live. "The goal of the automated speed enforcement program is designed to reduce driver speeds, promote safe driving habits and make our streets safer for school children, motorists and pedestrians," reads an announcement from the Hyattsville City Police Department heralding the launch of the program. The cameras will be deployed on Feb. 19. For the first 30 days the cameras are live, speeding motorists caught by the cameras driving more than 12 miles above the speed limit will receive a written warning in the mail. After that, speeding motorists risk a $40 fine …
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
West Hyattsville neighborhood watch efforts hailed by police at community meeting to review city crime stats.
The Hyattsville City Police Department reviewed the year in crime statistics last night at a community meeting held at St. Matthews Episcopal Church on 36th Street in West Hyattsville While the meeting primarily was focused on citywide crime stats, it was also an informal celebration of a new, emerging dynamic in West Hyattsville which has seen a small group of neighbors band together to form, in less than a year, perhaps the most active neighborhood watch association in the city, with regular resident patrols organized by email. After Hyattsville Police Chief Doug Holland reviewed 2012's declining crime numbers (those numbers were previously reviewed in a January Hyattsville Patch article), Sgt. Chris Purvis, the city police's public …
Sunday, January 20, 2013
See where the hotspots for assaults, robberies, and burglaries are in Hyattsville.
On Friday, we gave you a broad overview of Hyattsville's year in crime. The city marked another year of declining crime numbers, but a number of crime hotspots remain in the city. Now, we show you where two categories of those crimes happened. Data provided by the Hyattsville City Police Department has been turned into heat maps charting the geographic density of violent crime and burglaries in the city of Hyattsville. Violent Crimes The 3500 Block of East-West Highway is the most violent street in the city of Hyattsville, according to data released by the city police department. That block, home of the Mall at Prince George's and near the Prince George's Plaza Metro Station, saw 19 crimes against persons–12 assaults and seven …
Friday, January 18, 2013
Crime reductions continue multi-year trend, according to data from the Hyattsville City Police Department.
Continuing a six year trend, crime in Hyattsville saw another year of dramatic declines, according to data released by the Hyattsville City Police Department earlier this week. Hyattsville Police Chief Doug Holland attributed the declines to an effective police force and improved communication between the police department and the community. "We've made some gains with community involvement, getting the residents more involved with us and each other," said Holland in an interview. "We have some good, old fashioned police work going on. Our investigative staff has been working at a very high level. Last year saw crime dropped across every category except for three. The city saw increases in the number of rapes, assaults and arsons compared…
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Police chief says cameras could start snapping speeders within a month, if county, state approvals are obtained.
If Hyattsville officials can work out the details with state and county officials, speed cameras operated by the city of Hyattsville could become operational within a month, according to Hyattsville Police Chief Doug Holland. The Hyattsville City Council approved the municipal speed camera program this past April. Holland, speaking during last night's mid-year budget reports and departmental performance evaluations, said that the city still had to work out a memorandum of understanding with Prince George's County and the State Highway Administration officials over the placement of the cameras. According to Mayor Marc Tartaro, the State Highway Administration has so far not allowed the city to place speed cameras on Route 1 and East West …
Monday, January 14, 2013
86-year-old man went missing from 5800 block of Queens Chapel Road in Hyattsville.
Update - Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013, 3 p.m. - Willie Cheeks has been found, according to police. Sgt. Chris Purvis, public information officer with the Hyattsville City Police Department, said that Cheeks was found by members of the Howard County Police Department earlier this morning in Burtonsville and was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Purvis said that Cheeks disappeared from the Independence Court Nursing Home in Hyattsville, where he currently lives. Original Article Below The Hyattsville City Police Department is asking the public to keep an eye out for a missing 86-year-old man who suffers from dementia. The man, named Willie Clarence Cheeks, stands about 6 feet tall, with brown eyes and grey hair. He was last seen on Sunday…
Monday, January 7, 2013
Woman robbed as she walks to West Hyattsville Metro Station.
Hyattsville city police are looking for suspects involved in a robbery which occurred over the weekend. On Saturday, Jan. 5, a woman was walking towards the West Hyattsville Metro Station through the field next to Kirkwood Apartments on Ager Road. As she was walking, an older model tan or gold colored SUV approached the woman from behind and stopped. A passenger exited the vehicle, brandished a black handgun and demanded the woman's purse. The victim complied with the demands made by the robber, at which point the suspect re-entered the car and drove away on Ager Road toward 23rd Avenue. Police describe the suspect as a black male, between 25-30 years of age, with short hair, standing about 6 feet tall, and wearing dark clothing. …
38.960831
-76.97107
Kirkwood Market
2721 Nicholson St, Hyattsville, MD
/articles/police-seek-robbery-suspects
468284
/locations/8542623
Friday, January 4, 2013
Property, including car, stolen from Hyattsville house while residents sleep.
Hyattsville city police officers are looking for suspects who burglarized a home overnight while its residents slept through the crime. According to a message from the city police sent to subscribers of Hyattsville's Nixle alert system, sometime between midnight and 5 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 4, a home was burglarized in the 5500 block of 43rd Avenue. The residents were home at the time of the burglary, but apparently slept peacefully as property was taken from their home in the night. According to Sgt. Susie Johnson, who oversees the HCPD criminal investigations division, police believe the burglars were able to gain entry to the house by prying open a back door. Once inside, the burglars stole a flatscreen television, a laptop computer, …
38.955123
-76.943208
5500 43rd Ave, Hyattsville, MD
Home burglarized as residents sleep inside.
/articles/residents-sleep-through-overnight-burglary
/locations/8524497
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
City's insurer to pay more than $55,000 in damages, legal costs in lawsuit resulting from 2009 arrest.
Correction: This post has been corrected after several inaccuracies were brought to the editor's attention. We miscalculated the amount of damages paid out by the city's insurer. We also did not identify that the insurer would pay out the damages. Finally,the article also inaccurately said that the Davis was found guilty for using excessive force against Jackson. As a civil case, guilt or innocence is not at stake. Rather, the jury merely found that "a preponderance of evidence that the officer used excessive force during the course of an arrest," according to Police Chief Doug Holland. "His guilt or innocence was not in issue as he was never charged with a crime, nor should he have been," said Holland. We regret these errors and …
Monday, December 31, 2012
City admits no liability in out-of-court settlement, closing six-month legal battle.
The sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former Hyattsville City Police Department officer has ended in an out-of-court settlement, according to court records. The settlement brings to a close six months of proceedings before the US District Court for the District of Maryland which saw Marsha Lessard, who worked as a city police officer from 2005 through 2009, allege a pattern of sexual harassment within the police department during her time there. Hyattsville officials announced the settlement in a brief statement distributed on Friday afternoon. According to the statement, the case was settled "on terms wherein the city admitted no liability for any of the allegations." Specific details about the settlement were not immediately …
Scot Brown
10:03 am on Wednesday, February 13, 2013
bummer! I like to drive fast. more ›