Citizens Take Steps to Decrease Crime

A group of Greenbelters gathered at the police station on Aug. 31 — not to bail anyone out but to talk about safety in their neighborhoods.

"We want to keep a active presence in the community," said Neighborhood Watch member Laura Kressler.

Kressler and other members were discussing plans for the Labor Day Festival.

"We do some patrolling and try to increase our visibility. We try to be at least in pairs," she said.

The Neighborhood Watch program is not only active for special events like the annual festival; they stay active all year.

"The Greenbelt Police Department works hand in hand with Neighborhood Watch groups throughout the community, and trains residents that participate in Neighborhood Watch on what is suspicious and when they should call the police," said Greenbelt crime prevention and community relations officer Kelly Lawson.

The area with the most crime is Greenbelt West, where Empirian Village is located. More than 200 crimes have been reported in the area this year, including more than 100 larcenies, 50 incidents of breaking and entering and 30 robberies.

In June, the Public Safety Advisory Committee and Community Relations Advisory Board held a meeting that looked at quality of life issues at Empirian Village in an effort to increase community involvement in that part of town.

Kressler also attended that meeting and said that while only a few residents attended, the community is in transition. The apartments are now under new management.

"Overall, most crime is down this year compared to last year, however the number of burglaries are up," Lawson said.

"Thefts are the most prevalent, but burglaries are the most significant crime we are facing currently. It is our sense that the economy may be driving the burglaries and thefts."

To address these issues, the police department has developed a Commander's Squad using a mix of plainclothes officers, bike patrol officers, traffic officers and officers in unmarked vehicles.

Additionally, the police department has also acquired two license plate readers through a grant from the governor's office. The readers allows officers to quickly scan license plates on vehicles to determine if they are stolen or have registration problems.