Thursday, May 17, 2012
Teen substance abuse now is similar to the problems of 1993, when authorities were called to action to combat teen drinking and driving, police said.
A year ago this week Montgomery County was rocked by the loss of three Magruder High School students killed in a drunk driving accident. Now, activists say, it’s time for the community to wake up. The Montgomery County Council of PTAs hosted a community action forum Wednesday, gathering police, community leaders, parents, teachers and students to discuss a growing substance and alcohol abuse problem in Montgomery County. “We are far too overrepresentive of drug and alcohol related tragedies. The number one cause of death continues to be alcohol related crashes and teen driving crashes,” said Captain Thomas Didone, director of the Montgomery County Police Traffic Division. “The summary of what’s going on with underage drinking – we’ve …
A new weekly feature allows readers to ask a Montgomery County Police officer questions.
Patch has partnered with Montgomery County Police to answer residents' questions about crime, public safety, police procedures and the law in a new feature called Ask A Cop. So District 2 residents, ask a cop about laws you are curious about, how often they patrol your neighborhood and why you got that ticket. Ask your question in the comments section below or e-mail Editor Sonia Dasgupta at sonia@patch.com. We'll get an answer to your question by the following Tuesday.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Driver appeared OK before complaining of pain while speaking with police.
One moment, a woman whose car rear-ended another vehicle on Rockville Pike on Wednesday morning was talking with county police officers about the incident. The next, Patricia Greer Parks, 56, was being rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead, county police said in a news release. Officers from the police department’s 2nd District responded to the incident at the intersection of Rockville Pike and Old Georgetown Road at 7:35 a.m. Upon arrival, officers found both drivers out of their cars and walking around, the release said. Ellen Margaret Girdharry, 51, of the 500 block of Lincoln Street in Rockville, was driving a gold 2005 Ford Taurus southbound on Rockville Pike near Mid-Pike Plaza when she slowed for traffic, police said…
39.049963
-77.114678
11800 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD
/articles/rear-end-crash-on-rockville-pike-turns-fatal
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Representatives from Montgomery County Police, Montgomery County Public Schools and the Montgomery County State's Attorney will answer questions related to teen drinking and substance abuse in Montgomery County.
Do you think teenage drinking is a growing problem in Montgomery County? Is substance abuse getting out of hand? Are you just curious about the issues? Community leaders including police, school principals, representatives from the Montgomery County State's Attorney's office and school board members will come together tonight to present a community action forum on teen drinking and substance abuse. After a presentation from the panel, the floor will be open to questions and discussion about the risks and life impact of teenage substance abuse. The presentation starts at 7 p.m. in the Montgomery County Public Schools Carver Educational Services Center Auditorium located at 850 Hungerford Drive in Rockville.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
No injuries were reported in a house fire on Bells Mill Road Tuesday night.
Approximately 45 firefighters responded to a house fire on Bells Mill Road in Potomac Tuesday night. Shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services responded to a house fire in a single family home at the 7700 block of Bells Mill Road. Rescue workers extinguished the bulk of the fire in 15 minutes, according to MCFRS spokesman Captain Oscar Garcia. Firefighters were initially told that an occupant may have been inside the home during the time of the fire, but he was later found to be at a neighbor's house. No injuries have been reported.
The measure was overturned by referendum in 2010 and brought back up by County Executive Isiah Leggett this session.
Despite voters striking down the Montgomery County ambulance fee in a referendum on the ballot in 2010, Montgomery County Council passed the fee again Tuesday with a 6-3 vote. Several councilmembers said there was a misinformation campaign surrounding the 2010 referendum vote. Councilmembers Councilman Phil Andrews (D, Dist-3), Roger Berliner (D-Dist. 1) and George Leventhal (D-At Large) were opposed. While Andrews implored councilmembers to respect the will of the voters, some of the county lawmakers were disturbed at how voters were educated about the ambulance fee. Many residents who voted against the fee thought county residents would have to pay the $300 to $800 fee per ambulance ride, Councilman Mark Elrich (D-At Large) said. “That’s…
Friday, May 11, 2012
The proposed legislation will go before the full Montgomery County Council on Tuesday. What do you think about the re-submission of an EMS fee for Montgomery County?
The newly proposed EMS Fee will head to the Montgomery County Council on Tuesday with a recommendation against approval from the council's public safety committee. Amid a contentious meeting Friday, amendments and details to the proposed legislation were hashed out between council committee members, representatives for the county executive office and Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services. In a vote of 2-1, the committee recommended council reject the amended bill. "I think [County Executive Ike Leggett's] re-submittal of this bill is the single worst decision he's made since I've been here, and I don't say that lightly," said Public Safety Committee Chairman Phil Andrews (D-Dist. 3). “It is crucial to make judgments that do not …
Thursday, May 10, 2012
The debate surrounding school resource officers continues. Montgomery County Council members and the county police chief have suggested a roundtable to address the issue.
What place do police officers have in Montgomery County's public schools? The issue of how to fund school resource officers continues to baffle county officials. The county's schools, police and council all recognize the benefit of the placing officers at local public high schools, but disagree as to its implementation and its scope. Police Chief Thomas Manger in January told the council that adding officers to schools would greatly impact the department's ability to deal with youth crime. With the budget cuts in previous years, only one SROs has been assigned to each police district, although previously the county boasted one officer per school cluster. The cities of Gaithersburg and Rockville supply officers to their city high schools…
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
MoCo police ticketed 197 motorists with seat belt violations.
The Montgomery County Police kicked off its "Click It or Ticket" seat belt campaign Wednesday morning with 35 officers spending two hours on Route 355 issuing citations to motorists for failing to wear them. The two-hour enforcement period yielded 197 seat belt violation citations, three citations for other traffic violations and four warnings, according to a Montgomery County Police news release. The two-hour detail was funded by the Maryland Highway Safety Office. Under Montgomery County law, anyone under 16 years old riding in the back of the car must be using a seat belt and anyone over 16 in the front seat of a car, as an operator or passenger, must buckle up.
A man drove his car towards a group of staff in an apparent attempt to strike an employee, police said.
A man drove his car over a curb in an apparent attempt to strike a female employee at a Bethesda rehabilitation center last month, according to Montgomery County police. Fayz Ali, 52, of the 14000 block of Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring, was arrested April 27 following the April 20 incident, according to Officer Rebecca Innocenti, a police spokeswoman. Police said Ali had been visiting a family member at the Bethesda Health and Rehab Center at 5721 Grosvenor Lane April 20. He attempted to assault a male and female employee inside the facility after being asked to leave, and was escorted outside of the building, according to police. After the male employee returned inside, Ali attempted to drive his car towards the female employee and a …
Joe Thomas
5:23 pm on Friday, May 18, 2012
Not that it makes a huge difference but there were two girls killed in that wreck on River Road. Not three. Didone gets that wrong all of the time. I doubt seriously if there is any epidemic. its kids being teenagers. Yesterday six girls were found drinking in some woods near Great Seneca Hghwy. You would have thought it was the capture of John Dillinger. Kids are going to drink just like we … more ›