by Jamie Stockwell, Washington Post
Gerald M. Wilson, acting police chief in Prince George’s County, plans to transfer dozens of officers back to the streets in an effort to lower the escalating crime rate, infuriating many in the department, who accuse him of playing to the wishes of county officials.
Many of the officers being transferred -- several of whom are assigned to specialty units such as training, narcotics and criminal investigations -- said in interviews that they see the moves as a desperate attempt by Wilson to keep his job as head of the 1,354-member agency, a job that still isn’t actually his.
Now in his fourth month as acting chief, and with no indication that he will soon be confirmed by the County Council, Wilson has done little to test the support of his troops. But many in the department said they see his decision to transfer investigators, trainers and top sergeants back to the streets as his first real attempt to change the department. And they said it could provoke officers to turn against Wilson.
“One thought is that [Wilson] is so wrapped up in keeping his job that doing what’s best for the agency and the people of Prince George’s County is not important anymore,” said a training officer, who asked not to be identified out of fear of retribution. “We’re a county of nearly one million people, and he says we don’t need [to hire] more officers. That’s insane because he knows better than that.”
Yesterday, Wilson denied that he is making changes merely to curry favor. He said he has carried these “back-to-the-basics” ideas for much of his 18-year career at the department and implemented several of them as commander of the Oxon Hill police district.
In the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, there is no allowance for new hires, a request officers and police union representatives have been making since violent crime began an upward swing more than 18 months ago. It also seems doubtful that officers will receive new equipment and higher wages, said Anthony Walker, union president.
Violent crime in the county has risen 35 percent this year over the same period last year, with homicides on pace to surpass last year’s total. Other crime categories have spiked countywide, according to police: Carjackings have jumped 48 percent; the number of rapes has more than doubled; and robberies are up 27 percent.
Wilson said he will use the resources he has to combat the crime, even if it means putting officers back on patrols. He says his ideas are simple, with an emphasis on quality-of-life issues to help residents feel safer -- including ridding the county of illegal street vendors and abandoned vehicles that have sat on streets sometimes for months before being towed.
“We’ve got to be out there where the people in the community feel our presence,” Wilson said.
Wilson said residents repeatedly have expressed concern about out-of-state vehicles whose owners don’t obtain Maryland registration within 60 days and vehicles that languish on streets.
In a county where officers admit to feeling demoralized and discouraged about their jobs, and where residents acknowledge their fear of crime and anger at the police department, Wilson promised the transfers will reduce crime “not just in real numbers but in perception.”
“Frequently in our organization, if you stay in patrol, the assumption is either you may have done something wrong or, gee, you didn’t know better than to get off the streets,” Wilson said. “But I’m putting the focus back on the streets because that’s our bread and butter.”
He said he understands why officers are upset with his plans.
“Certainly I regret the personal imposition . . . on some members, but I have to do what I have to do,” Wilson said. “This is for the overall safety of the community and the officers on the front line every day.”
Many officers said they disagree. They said that the department receives about 1,500 calls a day and that every day dozens of calls are placed on hold because officers can’t respond quickly enough. The crime won’t go away, they said, and cases won’t be solved with such little manpower in the investigative units.
“There’s not a lot we can do anymore without the fear of getting in trouble for our actions,” said a longtime patrol officer who spoke on the condition that his name not be used. “So we go from call to call and aren’t proactive like we used to be years ago.
“A lot of us don’t think it’s going to get any better no matter what new things they try to make us do.”