A retired Washington, D.C., police officer hopes to win Prince George's District 9 County Council seat in 2010 in an effort to improve infrastructure, community schools and public safety.

Catherine Taggert-Ross, 52, of Clinton said she plans to run for the District 9 seat, along with candidates Mel Franklin, a Marlton assistant attorney general for the state of Maryland, and Tamara Davis Brown, a Clinton lawyer.

Taggert-Ross, who organizes the District 5 Coffee Club, which hosts weekly meetings for residents in police District 5, said she hopes to open up similar discussion in the county.

"I would like to encourage direct and open discussion," she said. "The citizens need to involve themselves in helping to enact a plan."

Taggert-Ross has lived in Clinton since 1993 and retired from the Metropolitan Police Department in 2005 after 20 years of service. She said she wants to focus on fighting public safety furloughs and layoffs.

Residential burglaries have increased 14 percent in the first six months of 2009 from this time last year, although violent and property crimes have dropped countywide from 2008, Police Chief Roberto Hylton said Tuesday.

"I realize that P.G. County is going through hard economic times, but I just don't understand how we can even consider furloughing public safety workers," Taggert-Ross said.

Knowles Harmon of Accokeek worked at the Metropolitan Police Department with Taggert-Ross for six years and said she was instrumental in working with residents to enhance the relationship between police and the community.

"She is always doing what she can to help other people and people recognize that," Harmon said, adding that Taggert-Ross was active in the District's Fraternal Order of Police and fought to protect officers' rights.

"Her integrity is impeccable," he said. "She is someone that can be trusted, and when she says she is going to do something she is going to do it."

Aside from public safety, Taggert-Ross and her husband, Bob Ross, who have raised seven children, said they continue to volunteer at county schools and try to make an impact on education.

"Even though we do not have school-aged children we decided to volunteer and give our time to education," she said. "The youth are the ones who are going to make the change in this county."

Bob Ross serves as the Surrattsville High School PTSA president, and Taggert-Ross worked with him as vice president until 2004.

In addition to her goals of improving education and public safety, Taggert-Ross said she hopes to slow the growth of development in District 9, while working to build infrastructure and public transportation by placing a moratorium on housing and working to build bus or train lines and toll lanes.

Residents of District 9, which includes Accokeek, Andrews Air Force Base, Aquasco, Baden, Brandywine, Camp Springs, Cheltenham, Clinton, Croom, Eagle Harbor, Fort Washington, Piscataway and parts of Upper Marlboro, have long opposed residential and commercial growth they say has led to roadway congestion.

E-mail Megan McKeever at mmckeever@gazette.net.