By Adam Pagnucco.
The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) is planning to reduce its response to service calls in the cities of Rockville and Gaithersburg. The change has been described by my sources as imminent.
Currently, the incorporated municipalities of Rockville and Gaithersburg are shared service jurisdictions. Both MCPD and the city police departments respond to calls for service. MCPD also supports the city police departments with back office services such as investigations. This cooperation has occurred for many years.
Now, in the wake of recruiting and staffing problems, MCPD plans to cut back its response to calls from Rockville and Gaithersburg. One source described the change by saying that MCPD “would back them up if needed but the calls are on them.” Back office services would continue.
I asked MCPD’s public information officer, Shiera Goff, for on-the-record comment and she confirmed that a change in service was coming. She wrote to me, “To clarify though, MCPD is not abandoning Rockville or Gaithersburg. Rockville PD and Gaithersburg PD will be primary and MCPD will assist when needed. The change comes because of staffing issues within the MCPD district stations.”
I asked her for written documentation of the new policy and she wrote, “Unfortunately, I don’t have anything in writing to share with you.”
The staffing issues cited by MCPD have been previously discussed inside county government. The county council’s public safety analyst, Susan Farag, has written that MCPD is “critically understaffed” and described this year’s police budget as containing “a net service reduction.” Back in February, she wrote about huge increases in retirements and resignations, a 36% vacancy rate in the 911 center, a decade-high average call response time, high patrol officer vacancy rates in Bethesda and Wheaton and inadequate traffic enforcement. This service change is apparently a response to long-standing trends. And all of this takes place in the context of rising violent crime both countywide and in Rockville and Gaithersburg.
It’s a bit unclear how the new division of responsibilities will play out and I assume that county and municipal leaders will discuss it. What is clear is that the cities will have to step up their spending on police. Rockville has a $14.2 million police department budget in FY24 with 91 full-time equivalent positions. Gaithersburg has a $11.4 million police department budget in FY24 with 78 full-time equivalent positions. Both cities will have to recruit new officers in a challenging recruitment environment.
I imagine that MCPD, the city leaders and the county and state elected officials who represent them will have more to say about this. If so, I will be sure to share it.