College Park Woods, MD

Dear Neighbors:

We have just received the following report from a resident on Bridgewater Street:

<<Yesterday, June 16th, our house on Bridgewater Street was robbed sometime around 10 a.m.  No one was home.  The robbers entered the house from an open window in the back.  They took only small electronic equiptment and $6 in cash – but nothing else.  Neighbors saw two individuals:  one who likely entered the house and one who sat at the corner of Marlbrough Way (The Court section on Bridgewater) as a possible look-out.  One individual had a blue and white bicycle (very rusted) and left the house carying a black bag.  The suspects did carry a knife through the house and blocked entry throught the front door with a chair.  The incident was reported to the PGC police. >>

Another resident on Bridgewater Street reported the following yesterday:

<<We have noticed someone looking into vehicles as they walk down the street (Bridgewater) and a neighbor actually saw the same person lean into a parked car’s open window.>>

Please be on the alert and report any suspicious activity to the police right away at 301-333-4000.  You may even call 911 if you sense that the suspects are about to commit a crime.  Once you’ve made your report to the police, please e-mail us a report so we can spread the word and alert the neighborhood.

Dear Neighbors:

We have received the following report from a resident on the 3700 block of Marlbrough Way: 

Dear Neighbors:

We have been informed that there has been an increase in the number of door-to-door solicitors in our neighborhood, and we would like to caution you to be careful and keep the following solicitation rules in mind:

All persons selling or soliciting contributions for charities must be licensed by the city.  They MUST HAVE a city license IN ADDITION TO licenses or other approval issued by the county or state.  There are three categories of people who may come door-to-door:

1)  Those who are not selling anything or asking for donations (such as religious groups) — these do not need a license from the city.

2)  Those soliciting contributions for charities – these MUST BE LICENSED, although there is no fee for the license, and it is valid only for 30 days.

3)  Salesmen (alarm systems, siding, etc.) MUST HAVE A CITY LICENSE which has a fee and is valid for a year.

Those who are required to have a license are to have the license with them and produce it upon request (Pertinent parts of the city code on these rules are attached).

Please call the City’s Code Enforcement Office at 301-864-8877 to report any solicitors who should have a license but cannot produce it when asked to do so.

Public Services Director Bob Ryan also warns:  “Please note that no one has to open their door to anyone.  There have been thieves going door to door, testing to see if anyone is home or if the door is unlocked.”

Dear Neighbors:

We are happy to report that two suspects have been arrested in connection with the armed home invasion that occurred early Thursday morning, April 23^rd, 2009.  The following are what we understood from what Major Dusseau, our new PGPD District 1 Commander, told us:

·        The two suspects had been arrested on an unrelated charge yesterday (April 23rd, 2009).  When the MO (modus operandi) they used in the crime they were arrested for was compared with the one used in the home invasion on the 9000 block of St. Andrews Place, the police suspected that they were the same men, and the shell casing recovered from the home invasion was analyzed right away.  It turned out that the shell was fired from the same gun found with the suspects.

·        The suspects had no permanent address – they were staying at the Howard Johnson’s motel on Route 1 at the time.

·        The suspects fall into the category of those who target a home where they see something they want.  They entered the home on St. Andrews Place by pushing through the door, and they probably did not expect much resistance from the occupants there.  Consequently, Major Dusseau recommends that people close their blinds or drapes at night, so as not to attract such brazen criminals.

We hope this brings a bit of relief to our CPW residents – we are grateful that the police acted swiftly to solve this crime, which elevated the type of robbery we’ve experienced thus far in our neighborhood.

Rex Powell and Zari Malsawma

CPW-NW Coordinators