The Police Department and Ward 2 City Councilmember Cindy Dyballa will be holding a community meeting to discuss public safety issues in Ward 2.
Police Department staff will be providing an update on recent incidents in Ward 2 and provide an overall overview of crime stats/trends and security measures put in place to address these trends.
The meeting will be in-person, and a Zoom Webinar will also be available to join and ask questions.
Meeting Information
Date: Thursday, April 27, 2023 Time: 7:00 – 9:00 PM
Takoma Park Recreation Center 7315 New Hampshire Avenue Takoma Park, Maryland.
The Takoma Park City Council is happy to announce that it has appointed David Eubanks as Acting Deputy City Manager, effective Monday, March 6, 2023.
Acting Deputy City Manager David Eubanks
Mr. Eubanks joined the City of Takoma Park in 2021 as the Deputy Director of Public Works and is currently the Director of Housing and Community Development (HCD). As HCD Director, Mr. Eubanks has been instrumental in advancing key City initiatives such as the library construction project. Prior to joining the City, Mr. Eubanks had over a decade of experience in housing and community development. The Council looks forward to working with Mr. Eubanks in this new role.
The Council would also like to thank Acting Deputy City Managers Rosalind Grigsby and Gregory Clark for their service in the Deputy City Manager role. Both will be returning to their official positions, Rosalind Grigsby as Planning Manager and Gregory Clark as Director of the Recreation Department. The Council appreciates their support during this time of transition and looks forward to working with them in these roles.
Looking forward, the Council is working to identify an Interim City Manager to manage the City until a new permanent City Manager is selected. Additional details regarding the City Manager search are forthcoming. We appreciate your continued understanding as we move forward during this time of transition.
Effective February 13, 2023, City Manager Jamal Fox resigned from his position as the City Manager with the City of Takoma Park. Fox was hired in 2021 for a specific and critical time of transition for the City of Takoma Park. Fox stated, “it has been a privilege to work alongside the professional and dedicated staff, community members, Council, and Senior Leadership Team.”
The City Council thanks Mr. Fox for his service to the City and wishes him the best in his future endeavors. Acting Deputy City Managers Rosalind Grigsby and Greg Clark will continue to share the duties of Deputy City Manager until an Interim City Manager is announced.
We are very concerned about the increase in violent crime in Takoma Park. These violent incidents that have plagued our region are now impacting our City far too frequently.
We are doing everything we can to address the increase in crime in Takoma Park. This includes increased patrols, both uniform and plainclothes, as well as overtime details to put more officers in identified “hot spot” problem areas. We want to make sure criminals know that Takoma Park is not a “soft target.”
We ask that residents continue to act as our eyes and ears, “if you see something say something.” Community members can also leave anonymous tips on our 911 Tip Line, Residents’ calls/tips have led to officers being able to make arrests for in-progress crimes and have also provided information that has helped us solve crimes.
We have made several arrests for crimes in Takoma Park, including the arrests of two individuals responsible for multiple burglaries in Takoma Park and the arrest of a juvenile in the recent carjacking on Westmoreland Ave. We will continue to investigate incidents to ensure offenders are identified and charged professionally.
We have held multiple Public Safety Ward meetings in Wards 1, 2, 3, and 6, as well as more focused neighborhood meetings to hear from residents, provide crime stats and crime prevention tips, and update residents on incidents in Takoma Park. Our next meeting, focused on Ward 5, will take place on Monday, March 13th.
Long-term, we must take a holistic approach to addressing the causes of criminal activity. Until we address these underlying issues, lack of education, food security, jobs, etc., the cycle of crime and violence will continue. The police alone cannot solve the problem. We look forward to the City implementing some of the recommendations made by the Takoma Park Reimagining Public Safety Task Force that help address these issues and continuing to look for ways to address the root causes of criminal behavior.
We are doing everything we can to keep our residents safe and secure while still protecting the values and small-town identity of Takoma Park.
We are always open to ideas and input. Have suggestions? Please send them to me at Chief DeVaul.
I am deeply disturbed by the actions of the five Memphis police officers in the murder of Tyre Nichols. Watching the video of the beating death of Mr. Nichols at the hands of Memphis police officers was extremely difficult and brought me to tears. The actions taken by the involved officers were merciless, heinous, and incredibly disturbing and went against the basic law enforcement principle of preserving life. The lack of compassion, abuse of power, and use of excessive force were inhumane and inexcusable. I am glad to see swift action was taken, and the five police officers involved in the murder of Tyre Nichols and the two firemen who failed to render proper medical care to Mr. Nichols have been fired. I am also glad to see the five police officers charged with murder and other criminal charges.
We can no longer sit back and allow these incidents to happen. Real change must happen. The fact that both Mr. Nichols and the five officers involved were African-American was not lost on me. As your police chief, I am acknowledging the role traditional police culture plays in many of these horrific incidents. The fact that the officers who murdered Mr. Nichols were assigned to a unit called the “Scorpions” speaks volumes about the mission of the unit and the mentality of the officers in the unit.
Police culture, with an “us against them” mentality, must change. I am committed to changing this culture. This begins with hiring individuals who want to be police officers for the right reasons, providing ongoing training to officers, and holding officers accountable for their unjust actions. We must also train our officers to de-escalate situations with dialog, not force.
We regularly review our policies and procedures, but given this sobering moment, it requires our department to review and ensure our policies, practices, and oversight in our duty to protect our officers and the community from any circumstance even mildly akin to this type of tragedy. All Takoma Park officers have undergone Active Bystander for Law Enforcement Training (ABLE- https://www.law.georgetown.edu/cics/able/) and de-escalation training. We also have a duty to intervene policy requiring all officers to intervene when they observe misconduct by other officers.
We, as a community and a nation, must come together to address the issues facing the law enforcement profession. I and all of the members of the Takoma Park Police Department are committed to being part of the solution, not the problem. We are stronger together!
We are always open to ideas and input on providing equal and equitable service to all our community members. Have suggestions? Please send them to me at tonyd@takomaparkmd.gov.
On Thursday, January 26, 2023, the Police Department and Ward 3 City Councilmember Randy Gibson held a community meeting to discuss public safety issues in Ward 3.
If you had a question that didn’t get asked, or that you thought of after the meeting, please feel free to email them to Cathy Plevy and we will get you a response.
Contact:
Catherine Plevy Public Information Officer Takoma Park Police Department
Contact Information for Emergencies and/or Services During Bad Weather
We are expecting some wintry weather in the DMV over the next few days. Please know who to contact in an emergency and check on your neighbors.
For any storm-related emergencies, including any injury, tree into a structure, or downed power lines that could still be electrified, call 911.
To report downed branches and other debris in the public right of way – roadways or sidewalks – contact Takoma Park Public Works at: publicworks@takomaparkmd.gov or 301-891-7633.
Utilities
For power outages and to check estimated restoration times, call Pepco at 1-877-737-2662 or visit their power outage webpage at Pepco Power Outage Map.
Montgomery County: County officials recommend precautionarymeasures such as wearing masks to slow transmission, protect the most vulnerable populations, and keep hospitalizations down as COVID-19 cases rise in the region.
County cases have steadily risen, doubling since the recent low on November 28, 2022. Information provided by Ron Hardy, Emergency Preparedness Manager.
The City of Takoma Park is partnering with BallotTrax, a free service that can send you an email, text, or phone call when we have accepted your ballot or if there is a problem with your ballot. You can also check to see if a ballot was mailed to you.
If you prefer not to sign up, you can simply check the status on the BallotTrax site.
Check to see if a ballot was mailed to you.
Find out if your ballot has been received and accepted by the City Board of Elections.
Receive a notification if there is a problem with your ballot.***
***Important: if you forgot to sign your ballot envelope, or if your ballot cannot be processed for some reason, you will receive a notification so that you can correct the error. In 2020, many ballots could not be counted because voters forgot to sign the ballot envelope or because of a signature mismatch. Don’t let this happen to you!
A version of this article was featured in the November 2022 Newsletter. Visit the Takoma Park Newsletterwebpage to see the full list of past newsletters.
Fall leaf collection started November 14, 2022, and continues through December 16, 2022.
This year’s collection will divide the City into five zones, with one leaf collection vehicle per zone.
This arrangement is expected to provide at least collections between November 14, 2022, and December 16, 2022.
State Highway routes will receive a collection on the following scheduled dates:
Monday, December 12 Streets affected Carroll Ave, Ethan Allen Ave, and Philadelphia Ave
Saturday, December 3 Streets affected Flower Ave (7900 – 8600) and Piney Branch Rd
Leaf Collection Hotline
Public Works has set up a Leaf Collection Hotline at 301-891-7626. Residents may call the Leaf Collection Hotline and leave a voice message to notify Public Works when leaves have been raked out to the curb. Public Works expects to collect the leaves within two weeks.
Important guidelines to be followed for leaf collection
Place leaves into a pile close to the edge of the curb.
Avoid piling leaves where cars are likely to be parked.
Do not rake leaves into the street. Leaf piles create traffic hazards.
Do not include branches, brush, vines, rocks, or debris. These items damage equipment and delay collection.
Do not pile leaves near storm drain inlets. Leaves can block the drains and cause flooding problems.
Do not park your car in front of a leaf pile. Restricting access to leaf piles delays collection.
