Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Budget Cuts Force PGPD to Delay District VII Station Opening

The Prince George’s County Police Department’s District VII station in Fort Washington was slated to open later this summer. But due to recently imposed budget cuts, the opening is now postponed. Currently, there is no set opening date.

Chief Mark Magaw today issued the following statement regarding the postponement:

“The Prince George’s County Police Department is eager to open the District VII station. Budgetary cuts are requiring agencies to make difficult decisions. Those cuts are preventing us from hiring new officers at a rate faster than current officers will retire. Right now, our stations in Oxon Hill and Clinton are serving the communities that will one day be covered by the District VII station. So far in 2015, those communities are seeing a substantial drop in crime, including a decrease in violent crime by nearly 21%. The PGPD has consistently stated we will not redeploy officers from our other six district stations in order to properly staff District VII. We look forward to the day District VII can open its doors so we can continue to serve the residents of southern Prince George’s County.”

No comments:

Blog Archive