Montgomery County's Policing Advisory Commission's Public Forum

[Anonymous]

Is on January 9 at 6:30pm on zoom. If you'd like to testify about traffic enforcement in the county, please register.

https://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgportalapps/Press_Detail.aspx?Item_ID=42644&Dept=1

[Anonymous]

Wasting time on this when murders are hitting historic record highs is typical of why Montgomery County is in decline.

[Anonymous]

This isn’t a serious attempt to gather facts. The commission’s questions for the public are all loaded and the report is biased toward the desired outcome. It’s pretty typical of county government these days to make all the decisions in private and then have a fake hearing to make it look like they took public input. More people need to start paying attention.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This isn’t a serious attempt to gather facts. The commission’s questions for the public are all loaded and the report is biased toward the desired outcome. It’s pretty typical of county government these days to make all the decisions in private and then have a fake hearing to make it look like they took public input. More people need to start paying attention.

It’s a typical county board. They don’t have power other than recommending policy to the Council. But it is curious they focus solely on traffic and not how to better fight crime; which is what the public cares about at the moment

[Anonymous]

I just read through the recommendations. No surprised at all. It’s a typical attack on MCPD, something the county government has done frequently and successfully for a couple years now. The language is heavy with allegations that MCPD is the reason for the number of collisions in the county. Huh?

I suspect there are people on the PAC that feel like they are doing good by “fixing” the police. I just don’t think their efforts are sincere.

I wonder how successful they could be (and how many officers the county could contain instead of bleeding them to early retirement and transfers) if they would simply trying working WITH MCPD instead of simply going on a joyful attack.

We have a good department, one that used to stand as a model to others nationwide. Politicians have made it a shell of what it was and what it could be. Are there problems? Of course. Nothing this council is actually doing is going to fix them, however. A sincere, honest intention and partnership isn’t there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just read through the recommendations. No surprised at all. It’s a typical attack on MCPD, something the county government has done frequently and successfully for a couple years now. The language is heavy with allegations that MCPD is the reason for the number of collisions in the county. Huh?

I suspect there are people on the PAC that feel like they are doing good by “fixing” the police. I just don’t think their efforts are sincere.

I wonder how successful they could be (and how many officers the county could contain instead of bleeding them to early retirement and transfers) if they would simply trying working WITH MCPD instead of simply going on a joyful attack.

We have a good department, one that used to stand as a model to others nationwide. Politicians have made it a shell of what it was and what it could be. Are there problems? Of course. Nothing this council is actually doing is going to fix them, however. A sincere, honest intention and partnership isn’t there.

That's what Elrich and Council should have done from the very beginning. MCPD in particular has long had a culture of proactive improvement. They would have worked with politicians to implement better practices. And police may still bristle at change. Nobody likes change, even when it's good. But at least it would have been done in a more supportive environment.

[Anonymous]

was the forum well attended?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:was the forum well attended?

It's on Monday. You should go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:was the forum well attended?

It's on Monday. You should go.

No thanks. Got better things to do and everyone else should too.

MCPD are not perfect, but they are fine and significantly better than a lot of police forces around the region and the country. So I am not sure what the point of all of this is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:was the forum well attended?

It's on Monday. You should go.

No thanks. Got better things to do and everyone else should too.

MCPD are not perfect, but they are fine and significantly better than a lot of police forces around the region and the country. So I am not sure what the point of all of this is.

The point is that some council members need a dragon to slay so they can advance their political careers. If they were truly interested in improving public safety, they would have learned about existing public safety efforts by attending the citizens’ academy and worked with MCPD instead of creating an adversarial relationship.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This isn’t a serious attempt to gather facts. The commission’s questions for the public are all loaded and the report is biased toward the desired outcome. It’s pretty typical of county government these days to make all the decisions in private and then have a fake hearing to make it look like they took public input. More people need to start paying attention.

It’s a typical county board. They don’t have power other than recommending policy to the Council. But it is curious they focus solely on traffic and not how to better fight crime; which is what the public cares about at the moment

Very curious that a public forum about enforcing traffic laws should be about enforcing traffic laws!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:was the forum well attended?

It's on Monday. You should go.

No thanks. Got better things to do and everyone else should too.

MCPD are not perfect, but they are fine and significantly better than a lot of police forces around the region and the country. So I am not sure what the point of all of this is.

The point is that some council members need a dragon to slay so they can advance their political careers. If they were truly interested in improving public safety, they would have learned about existing public safety efforts by attending the citizens’ academy and worked with MCPD instead of creating an adversarial relationship.

If they are serious about police reform and that is something that’s important to them they should be taking this energy up to Baltimore or next door to PG County where they have any number of major issues. These seem intent to make police here equally bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This isn’t a serious attempt to gather facts. The commission’s questions for the public are all loaded and the report is biased toward the desired outcome. It’s pretty typical of county government these days to make all the decisions in private and then have a fake hearing to make it look like they took public input. More people need to start paying attention.

It’s a typical county board. They don’t have power other than recommending policy to the Council. But it is curious they focus solely on traffic and not how to better fight crime; which is what the public cares about at the moment

Very curious that a public forum about enforcing traffic laws should be about enforcing traffic laws!

Do you think this is about Vision Zero? You peoples brains are broken.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This isn’t a serious attempt to gather facts. The commission’s questions for the public are all loaded and the report is biased toward the desired outcome. It’s pretty typical of county government these days to make all the decisions in private and then have a fake hearing to make it look like they took public input. More people need to start paying attention.

It’s a typical county board. They don’t have power other than recommending policy to the Council. But it is curious they focus solely on traffic and not how to better fight crime; which is what the public cares about at the moment

Very curious that a public forum about enforcing traffic laws should be about enforcing traffic laws!

Do you think this is about Vision Zero? You peoples brains are broken.

The kinds of questions the PAC would like addressed include:

The mission of traffic enforcement by police is to make roadways safer. What do you think effective traffic enforcement looks like?
What do you think racially-equitable enforcement should look like?
There is some evidence that when the police traffic enforcement is focused only on serious traffic offenses safety is improved more than with a program of many low-level stops -- and it reduces racial disparities in traffic stops. In your personal experience, were you pulled over for minor violations? Did minor violations lead to longer questions, additional citations, even searches or arrest?
What can the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) do to help the public view traffic enforcement in a more positive, more effective light?
MCPD traffic officers based in the six police districts provide enforcement based on resident requests. What has your experience been trying to get specific enforcement, or being pulled over for specific enforcement initiatives?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the use of automated red-light and speed cameras should be a primary strategy for reducing the number and severity of motor vehicle crashes. Do you want more or fewer cameras in your neighborhood? Do you think they are effective, just revenue collectors, or both? Do you think camera placement is objective?
Would easy, accessible “data dashboards” (government websites of up-to-date data on a particular subject) make the public feel the department is more transparent about traffic enforcement?
Would a data dashboard overlaying enforcement cameras and accidents make the public feel the department is more transparent about traffic enforcement?
Would you find it helpful for the MCPD to publish complaint data for each of the county’s six police districts?
Do you feel you have been subject to a pretextual stop by the MCPD? (i.e. pulled over for something minor like expired registration, only to have police question you as if you were engaged in more serious crime?
If you have been searched by officers of the MCPD, did you feel it was justified by the situation? Did the police find anything illegal?
Would you be interested in the MCPD publishing an annual traffic enforcement report?

[Anonymous]

I’m not in favor of what Jawando is trying to accomplish but I’m duly impressed you folks are so ridiculous that you would hijack that to pursue your agenda.

Thinking about this again, I encourage you to do this!