The Montgomery County police are asking for the public’s help to identify a suspect in a July 20 armed robbery in Silver Spring. Detectives from the 3rd District Investigative Section have released a cell phone video of one of two suspects in the robbery that occurred in the 1200 block of East-West Highway.
The County Council yesterday unanimously approved a bill that would require the Montgomery County police chief to adopt a use of force policy. Many of the provisions in the legislation are similar those in a new policy announced in June by County Executive Marc Elrich, Police Chief Marcus Jones and the Fraternal Order of Police.
Montgomery County police officers are now required to intervene when they witness excessive force being used by other officers under a new policy announced yesterday. In addition, the County Council introduced a bill that would codify additional curbs on police use of excessive force.
Vandals defaced a memorial marking the graves of 17 Confederate soldiers buried in Grace Church Cemetery at the corner of Georgia Avenue and Grace Church Road. The bodies were relocated from their original graves near Fort Stevens in Washington, D.C. to the cemetery in 1874, according to “Silver Spring and the Civil War,” written by Woodside Park resident Robert Oshel.
The County Council looking for applicants to fill its positions on the Policing Advisory Commission created late last year. The commission’s 13 members would be charged with improving council oversight of the county’s police department. In addition, it’s intended to increase the community’s trust in police.
The county has launched a new Family Violence Awareness and Prevention Campaign to focus on the available help for victims of such actions during the COVID-19 emergency. “Our community is weathering an unprecedented pandemic. With that may come added stress and anxiety,” said Police Chief Marcus Jones. “This in turn is contributing to the potential victimization of some of our most vulnerable populations, including our elderly and our children.”
The Montgomery County Department of Police and the state police yesterday announced policies and procedures the departments would follow while enforcing Gov. Larry Hogan’s Monday stay-at-home order. Neither department’s officers will make random stops to ask whether drivers are in compliance with the order to undertake only essential travel.
Activists scored a victory earlier this month when the Montgomery County Council discussed an amendment to a proposed community policing bill that would, among other things, remove language calling for an expansion of the county’s school resource officer program.
The Montgomery County police have announced the arrests of three suspects in a Jan. 5 shooting on Ellsworth Drive, one adult and two juveniles, all from Washington, D.C.